(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the top legal advisor to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon could be ousted over her relationship to deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
The advisor, Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, was Obama’s White House counsel from 2011 to 2014 before moving to Goldman Sachs. Ruemmler reportedly first met Epstein after he called her to ask if she would be interested in representing Bill Gates and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Their relationship grew closer from there. At one point, Ruemmler was an executor of Epstein’s will.
They also gossiped over politics, emails show. In 2018, for instance, Epstein was insulting Trump in emails to Ruemmler. Ruemmler sent a message to Epstein calling Trump “so gross.” A portion of that message was redacted, but Epstein replied, “worse in real life and upclose.”
After those and other emails were made public, Goldman Sachs officials supported Ruemmler. But according to the Journal, others at the investment firm—particularly women—are furious with her.
“In 2024, Solomon organized a dinner at his Manhattan apartment to address the lack of senior women in the highest ranks of the bank, which then had more than 44,000 employees. Some of the women who attended told the Journal at the time that they were appalled that Solomon had Ruemmler help organize the event,” the newspaper reported.
“Solomon later complained in a separate gathering with high-ranking women that Ruemmler had garnered that kind of reaction. He said he couldn’t believe there were senior women at the firm who would bristle at Ruemmler, explaining she was a top adviser and an important resource for the firm, according to people who were present.”
The discontent reportedly has Solomon preparing to oust her.
“John Rogers, the powerful Goldman executive who brought Ruemmler into the bank, recently told a few close associates he was formulating a contingency plan in which she would leave later this year, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Journal reported Tuesday. “The idea would be to give Ruemmler as graceful an exit as possible by distancing it from the Epstein revelations.”
Rogers said in a statement that the Journal’s report is “completely untrue.” Solomon also issued a statement of support.
“Kathy is an excellent general counsel and we benefit from her advice every day,” he told the Journal. “Kathy has always had the support of the entire leadership team and the Board and is widely respected and admired at the firm.”
Ruemmler, for her part, told the Journal that “it was my job to engage with people and companies that had serious legal and public relations problems. Many were under criminal investigation, and many had been convicted of crimes.” She added that she regrets knowing Epstein.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
