Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday regarding her connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The closed-door interview is part of the committee's investigation into Epstein's activities.
Background of Scrutiny
Ruemmler came under scrutiny earlier this year after her name appeared thousands of times in Epstein-related records released by the Justice Department under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. She announced in February that she would resign from her role as chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, effective June 30.
Emails between Ruemmler and Epstein, exchanged between 2014 and 2019—years after Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state prostitution charges, including procuring a minor—showed that Ruemmler accepted luxury gifts from Epstein, addressed him as “Uncle Jeffrey” and “sweetie,” advised him on how to respond to questions about his sex crimes, and was at one point listed as a backup executor of his will, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Ruemmler's Testimony
In her prepared opening statement, Ruemmler insisted she never saw any “evidence of ongoing criminal conduct or misconduct of any kind by Epstein during the time I dealt with him.” She stated that if she had seen or heard “any evidence suggesting that he was abusing women or girls, I would have immediately reported him to law enforcement.”
Ruemmler told lawmakers she first met Epstein in 2014 when she was “restarting my legal practice after having served for several years in government.” She said Epstein cold-called her, claiming he was working with Bill Gates to set up a large donor-advised fund. The fund “ultimately did not materialize,” but Epstein later referred another client to her, whom she represented until 2020.
She acknowledged being “friendly” with Epstein and dealing with him “casually, informally, and sometimes irreverently.” She added, “If I knew then what I know now about who Epstein really was, I never would have accepted an initial meeting with him.”
Gifts and Emails Context
Ruemmler said that “many” of her emails with Epstein have been “taken out of context or do not mean what some have speculated or suggested.” She accepted some gifts from him, as she “saw no reason not to.” In one 2015 email, she wrote to Epstein: “friendships goes two ways -- getting you some peace with respect to all of this legal shit is important to me.”
She stated that shortly after meeting Epstein, she learned of his 2008 guilty plea to prostitution-related offenses, including solicitation of a minor. Epstein told her he “had not known that any of them were underage” and expressed remorse. Ruemmler said her communications with Epstein ended in July 2019 after he was charged with sex trafficking of minors, and she was “shocked” by the indictment.
Regret and Criticism
Ruemmler concluded her remarks by describing Epstein as “a masterful liar” who “clearly lied to me.” She said, “I can see now that he used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing… I am angry that he hurt so many people, and I regret ever having anything to do with him.”
Despite announcing her resignation from Goldman Sachs in February, reports from the Financial Times and Bloomberg in June indicated that Ruemmler agreed to continue in an advisory role after CEO David Solomon asked her to remain. This decision drew criticism from lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who sent a letter to Solomon requesting information about what Ruemmler had disclosed about her relationship with Epstein before joining the firm. The lawmakers noted that documents released by the Justice Department “suggested that Ruemmler maintained a far more extensive relationship with Epstein than she previously publicly acknowledged.” Goldman Sachs declined to comment.
