Goldman Sachs general counsel resigns after Epstein emails revealed

KRKathy Ruemmler served as White House Counsel under President Obama from 2011 to 2014, making her the second woman to hold that position

She was responsible for advising the president on constitutional law, executive privilege, judicial nominations, and presidential pardons

After leaving the White House in 2014, she joined the law firm Latham & Watkins as a white-collar criminal defense attorney In 2020, Goldman Sachs hired her as general counsel and chief legal officer, overseeing the firm's legal, reputational, and regulatory matters She also co-chaired Goldman's reputational risk committee, which evaluates potential threats to the firm's public standing.

The Department of Justice released approximately 3 million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein investigations on Jan. 30, 2026

The files included emails, flight logs, depositions, and correspondence between Epstein and hundreds of people over multiple decades

DOJ officials said they were releasing the materials to provide transparency about Epstein's criminal conduct and his network of associates The release came after years of pressure from victims' advocates, journalists, and members of Congress demanding accountability for everyone who enabled or benefited from Epstein's crimes Many of the documents had been sealed in previous legal proceedings and settlement agreements.

The emails show Ruemmler referring to Epstein as Uncle Jeffrey, sweetie, and writing that she adored him and it was like having another older brother

In a 2018 email, she thanked him for a gift: So lovely and thoughtful

Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!! A January 2019 email said: Am totally tricked out by Uncle Jeffrey The correspondence shows she received multiple Hermes handbags and a fur coat from Epstein between 2014 and 2019 All these gifts came after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor and his registration as a sex offender An Aug. 14, 2014 email shows Epstein referring her to Bank Edmond de Rothschild as a client, writing they have a justice department problem like every other swiss bank Ruemmler took the bank as a client at Latham & Watkins.

On July 6, 2019, federal agents arrested Epstein at Teterboro Airport in 🏖️New Jersey on charges of sex trafficking minors

He was accused of creating a network to recruit and abuse dozens of girls as young as 14 years old at his Manhattan townhouse and Palm Beach estate

Prosecutors said he paid the girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages that became sexual abuse After his arrest, Epstein made three phone calls One went to his attorney The other two went to KRKathy Ruemmler and another person whose identity was redacted in court documents Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial The circumstances of his death sparked conspiracy theories and led to investigations of the Metropolitan Correctional Center's operations.

Goldman Sachs has a code of conduct that requires employees to get preapproval before accepting or giving gifts to clients

The policy exists to prevent conflicts of interest and violations of anti-bribery laws like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The firm's compliance system relies on employees self-reporting when they receive gifts that might create obligations or the appearance of impropriety Employees must disclose gifts valued above certain thresholds and explain the business purpose and relationship context The self-reporting requirement means the firm depends on employees' honesty about whether they received items that could influence their professional judgment or create obligations to gift-givers There's no indication Goldman's compliance department knew about the Hermes bags and fur coat until the DOJ released the emails in 2026.

CEO DSDavid Solomon defended Ruemmler in December 2025 after Congress first released some of the Epstein emails

A Goldman spokesperson called her an excellent lawyer and said the firm benefited from her judgment every day

The spokesperson noted the emails were private correspondence from before Ruemmler joined Goldman Sachs On Feb. 12, 2026, two weeks after DOJ released the fuller document dump, Ruemmler announced her resignation She told The Financial Times that media attention relating to her prior work as a defense attorney was becoming a distraction Solomon accepted her resignation and praised her as an extraordinary general counsel who had been a mentor and friend to many people at the firm.

The resignation is part of a broader wave of departures following the Epstein files release

BKBrad Karp stepped down as chairman of Paul Weiss on Feb. 4, 2026, after revelations about his email exchanges with Epstein over multiple years

He's staying at the firm but gave up the leadership role because of what he called the distraction of news stories Peter Mandelson was fired as UK ambassador to the United States in September 2025 after his name appeared repeatedly in Epstein flight logs and correspondence Morgan McSweeney resigned as chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2026, because of fallout from his having recommended Mandelson's appointment The pattern shows that elite professionals face consequences only after public pressure becomes overwhelming, not because institutions police themselves.