Kathryn Ruemmler Testifies Before House Committee on Epstein Ties
Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, testified on Wednesday morning before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform regarding her connections to Jeffrey Epstein, as part of the panel’s ongoing investigation into the convicted sex offender.
Ruemmler came under scrutiny earlier this year after her name appeared in records related to Epstein that were released by the Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In February, she announced her appointment as chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, effective June 30.
Emails exchanged between Ruemmler and Epstein from 2014 to 2019—years after Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state prostitution charges, including procuring a minor—revealed that Ruemmler, from her legal practice, addressed Epstein as "friend" and "Jeff," advising him on how to respond to questions about his sex crimes. Additionally, a document indicated she was at one point listed as a backup executor of his will, according to reports.
In one 2015 email to Epstein, Ruemmler wrote:
"friendships goes two ways -- getting you some peace with respect to all of this legal shit is important to me."
Wednesday’s interview was conducted behind closed doors, with the committee expected to release a transcript at a later date, consistent with prior witness testimonies.
Ruemmler's Statement and Background
In a statement to prior to her testimony, a spokesperson for Ruemmler said she "welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee."
"At the time she interacted with Epstein, she was a practicing criminal defense attorney and shared a client with him," the spokesperson added. "She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part."
According to a copy of her prepared opening statement delivered to the committee, Ruemmler asserted that she never observed any "evidence of ongoing criminal conduct or misconduct of any kind by Epstein during the time I dealt with him." She further 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 informed lawmakers that she first met Epstein in 2014, when she was "restarting my legal practice after having served for several years in government." She explained that Epstein cold-called her, stating he was collaborating with Bill Gates "to set up a large donor advised fund" and was seeking assistance with related legal matters. Ruemmler noted that the fund "ultimately did not materialize," but that several weeks later Epstein referred another "important client" to her, whom she represented until 2020.
She said Epstein referred clients to her and, although she was not his lawyer, he sought her advice occasionally. Ruemmler described her relationship with Epstein as "friendly" in that context, characterizing their interactions as "casual, informal, and sometimes irreverent."
"If I knew then what I know now about who Epstein really was, I never would have accepted an initial meeting with him," she said.
Ruemmler stated that many of her emails with Epstein have been "taken out of context or do not mean what some have speculated or suggested." She also acknowledged accepting some gifts from Epstein, explaining that she "saw no reason not to."
Understanding of Epstein's Past and End of Communications
In her opening remarks, Ruemmler said that shortly after meeting Epstein, she learned "that he had pleaded guilty six years earlier to two prostitution-related offenses, including solicitation of a minor for prostitution, and had received a non-prosecution agreement from the Department of Justice."
She recounted that Epstein told her he "had not known that any of them were underage" and expressed "remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct, which he described as paying money for sex to women he believed to be over the age of 18."
Ruemmler stated that her communications with Epstein ended in July 2019, following his federal court indictment on sex trafficking of minors charges. She described herself as "shocked" by the indictment.
Ruemmler concluded her remarks by describing Epstein as a "masterful liar" and stating:
"He clearly lied to me.
I can see now that he used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing, and I know now that he often exaggerated his relationship with me to others.
I understand how frustrating and hurtful it must have been for anyone victimized by Epstein to see him going about his life without facing the type of accountability and consequences that he deserved. I am angry that he hurt so many people, and I regret ever having anything to do with him."
Goldman Sachs Role and Congressional Concerns
Despite announcing her resignation from her role as chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs in February, reports in June indicated that Ruemmler agreed to continue at Goldman Sachs in an advisory capacity after CEO David Solomon requested she remain as an adviser.
Goldman’s decision drew criticism, including from two Democratic lawmakers, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who wrote to Solomon in June requesting information about the decision. They asked the bank to respond to a series of questions, including what Ruemmler had disclosed about her relationship with Epstein prior to joining the firm.
The lawmakers stated in their letter that documents released by the Department of Justice "suggested that Ruemmler maintained a far more extensive relationship with Epstein than she previously publicly acknowledged."
Goldman Sachs declined to comment.
