Goldman Sachs top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler to step down after email fallout

Top Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler said Thursday night that she will leave the investment bank at the end of June, a decision that came after a flurry of news articles highlighting documents detailing the former White House counsel’s often chummy email conversations with the notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Goldman, for months, has defended Ruemmler after Congress and then the Department of Justice released emails between her and Epstein, as well as other documents related to investigations of him.

Ruemmler, who has been a key advisor to Goldman CEO David Solomon since joining the bank in 2020, told the Financial Times on Thursday, “I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defence attorney, was becoming a distraction.”

The FT first reported the 54-year-old’s decision to leave Goldman, where she has been general counsel and chief legal officer, at the beginning of the summer.

Solomon, in an interview on Friday with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” called Ruemmler “a tremendous human being.”

“She called me yesterday afternoon and told me that ... the press coverage of the work that she had done previously and of this whole situation had just gotten to a level of noise and distraction that she thought was distracting the firm,” Solomon said. “It was putting her in a position where it was hard for her to execute on her job and her responsibilities, and she just thought it was time to step away.”

Ruemmler, in a statement Thursday night to CNBC, said, “Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do.”

“My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first,” Ruemmler said.

“Earlier today, I regretfully informed David Solomon of my intention to step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.”

Solomon, in a statement Thusday, said, “Throughout her tenure, Kathy has been an extraordinary general counsel, and we are grateful for her contributions and sound advice on a wide range of consequential legal matters for the firm.”

“As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision,” Solomon said.

Her announcement that she will leave Goldman comes nearly a week after The Wall Street Journal reported that Ruemmler was one of three people whom Epstein called on July 6, 2019, after being arrested by federal authorities on child sex trafficking charges at an airport in New Jersey.