Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has moved to retain his top lawyer despite her resignation amid renewed scrutiny over ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Kathryn Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs’ Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, had announced her departure effective June 30, 2026, following intense public pressure.
Solomon privately pressed Ruemmler to remain at the firm, and she ultimately agreed to stay on in an advisory capacity after her formal role ends.
The renewed scrutiny stems from thousands of documents released by the Department of Justice in late January, many of which reference Ruemmler directly.
Lawmakers said the January DOJ releases included more than 10,000 documents mentioning Ruemmler and appeared to show her advising Epstein on legal and press strategy, accepting gifts, and discussing personal matters.
Among the released emails was one Ruemmler sent Epstein in March 2019, four months before his arrest, offering advice on how to respond to public criticism over his 2008 conviction and lenient sentencing.
Ruemmler has maintained she kept an arm’s-length relationship with Epstein, engaging with him in a professional capacity because they shared a client and he referred prospective business contacts to her.
She has also stated she had no knowledge of any of his ongoing criminal activity during the period of their communications.
Solomon has been steadfast in his support for Ruemmler and has privately maintained he didn’t think she did anything wrong or inappropriate.
The firm plans to move Michael Bosworth into the interim general counsel job in July while it looks for a permanent replacement for the substantive role.
On June 9, Senate Banking Committee leaders sent Solomon a letter pressing for more information about the bank’s handling of the situation.
The letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi asked for answers by June 26 on what Goldman knew about Ruemmler’s relationship with Epstein and why the bank continued to defend her.
The lawmakers also questioned why Solomon moved to keep Ruemmler at Goldman Sachs following the damaging document releases from federal prosecutors.
For years, powerful people and institutions convinced themselves that silence was risk management and that distancing statements could substitute for accountability — they can’t.
The Epstein fallout continues to widen as additional records surface, drawing more prominent names and institutions into an expanding web of scrutiny.