{"id":22358,"date":"2026-07-30T20:43:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22358"},"modified":"2026-07-30T20:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:43:34","slug":"ex-goldman-sachs-lawyer-told-panel-that-epstein-made-her-firm-millions-of-dollars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22358","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Goldman Sachs lawyer told panel that Epstein made her firm &#8216;millions&#8217; of dollars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">Former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler told the House Oversight Committee that referrals by<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/alerts\/jeffrey-epstein\" dir=\"ltr\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->made her law firm &#8220;single-digit millions&#8221; of dollars, according to a transcript released Wednesday, providing lawmakers with another example of how the convicted sex offender used his relationships with the wealthy and powerful to benefit his associates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler, who never represented Epstein in any formal capacity but frequently provided him with legal and public relations advice, appeared July 15 in a closed-door session with the panel as part of its<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/johnson-gop-committed-transparency-justice-epstein\/story?id=125184235\" dir=\"ltr\">ongoing probe<\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->of the government&#8217;s handling of the investigations into Epstein.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler said Epstein sought her legal advice from time to time &#8220;as many people do&#8221; and defended her relationship with Epstein as strictly professional &#8212; but acknowledged that Epstein helped her secure work with French banker Ariane de Rothschild, and that he connected another attorney at her firm with a client in a criminal case.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler, who later became Goldman Sachs&#8217; top lawyer, said she was aware of Epstein&#8217;s <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Blotter\/story?id=5278867&amp;page=1\" dir=\"ltr\">2008 guilty plea<\/a> for solicitation of a minor for prostitution, but continued to work with him because he expressed &#8220;remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct.&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I did not see any evidence of ongoing criminal conduct or misconduct of any kind by Mr. Epstein during the time I dealt with him. Second, if I had seen or heard any evidence suggesting that he was abusing women or girls, I would have immediately reported him to law enforcement,&#8221; she said, according to the transcript.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Summarizing their relationship, Ruemmler told lawmakers that she met with Epstein approximately 20 times between 2014 and 2019 &#8212; and that her final conversation with Epstein was when he called her after his arrest in July 2019.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;It was a very short conversation, probably less than a minute. And, to the best of my recollection, the only thing that he said was that he&#8217;d been arrested. And my response was, &#8216;You obviously need to call your lawyer,'&#8221; she told the panel.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:66.25091709464417%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/77816b24-d8ee-453d-ac38-84872ccc6b51\/Kathy-Ruemmler-rt-gmh-260730_1785418040018_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/77816b24-d8ee-453d-ac38-84872ccc6b51\/Kathy-Ruemmler-rt-gmh-260730_1785418040018_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/77816b24-d8ee-453d-ac38-84872ccc6b51\/Kathy-Ruemmler-rt-gmh-260730_1785418040018_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/77816b24-d8ee-453d-ac38-84872ccc6b51\/Kathy-Ruemmler-rt-gmh-260730_1785418040018_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/77816b24-d8ee-453d-ac38-84872ccc6b51\/Kathy-Ruemmler-rt-gmh-260730_1785418040018_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Kathy Ruemmler, former chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, arrives for an interview before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee over her ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Al Drago\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler said that she also attended Epstein&#8217;s subsequent criminal arraignment in Manhattan because she was &#8220;absolutely shocked that he had been arrested&#8221; and wanted to update de Rothschild about the case.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I had come to have a personal relationship with Ariane de Rothschild, and so I knew that she would want to know, like, what exactly was going on. And so the way to find out exactly what was going on is actually to be there in the courtroom,&#8221; she said.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A Rothschild bank spokesperson told Reuters earlier this year that de Rothschild was a business acquaintance of Epstein from 2013 to 2019, that she had no knowledge of Epstein&#8217;s conduct, and that she &#8220;unequivocally condemns his behavior and the crimes which he committed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler was pressed by lawmakers about her casual and friendly emails with Epstein, in which she referred to him as &#8220;Uncle Jeffrey&#8221; and compared him to a brother.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;He was extremely arrogant. He was a mansplainer. He was pushy. He was avuncular,&#8221; Ruemmler said. &#8220;I, sort of, in a teasing way, referred to him, you know, as &#8216;Uncle Jeffrey,&#8217; in a way to not be &#8212; to sort of call him out for the way that he could be quite patronizing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Asked about emails in which she seemingly joked about Epstein&#8217;s crimes &#8212; including referring to &#8220;Jeffrey&#8217;s type of massage&#8221; &#8212; Ruemmler acknowledged that in hindsight those messages appear insensitive.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I understand why, you know, sitting here in 2026, the emails can come across as if there is callousness to victims. That&#8217;s not what I intended at the time. It wasn&#8217;t my state of mind at the time,&#8221; she said when asked about an email where she wrote, &#8220;victim&#8217;s rights, my ass.&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler also acknowledged communicating with Epstein in 2015 about what she called &#8220;very extreme allegations&#8221; raised by <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/virginia-giuffre-trump-jeffrey-epstein\/story?id=127468657\" dir=\"ltr\">Virginia Giuffre<\/a> of being abused by Epstein and trafficked to other prominent men, including Britain&#8217;s Prince Andrew and other then-unnamed politicians and businessmen. Ruemmler told lawmakers that &#8212; in her view &#8212; Giuffre&#8217;s allegations lacked &#8220;the indicia of credibility that one would expect.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;There were allegations that she made that were, I believed, based on my experience as a former prosecutor and as a defense counsel, that were of such a nature that they were &#8212; they lacked inherent credibility,&#8221; Ruemmler said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Family members of Giuffre, who <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/virginia-giuffre-accuser-jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-dies\/story?id=121181622\" dir=\"ltr\">died by suicide<\/a> last year, said in a statement Wednesday that Ruemmler &#8220;should be ashamed of herself&#8221; for &#8220;attempting to cast doubt on Virginia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;The only person who lacks credibility is Kathy Ruemmler, who is trying to get people to believe she didn&#8217;t know Jeffrey Epstein was actively engaged in sex trafficking,&#8221; said Sky and Amanda Roberts, Giufrre&#8217;s brother and sister-in-law, in the statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Toward the end of the Ruemmler&#8217;s appearance before the panel, she adopted a more aggressive approach and criticized lawmakers for scrutinizing her relationship with Epstein, the transcript indicated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;In the American legal system we hold people accountable for their conduct. We don&#8217;t hold people accountable for their associations,&#8221; she said.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ruemmler also said that some of the lawmakers on the committee &#8220;publicly endorsed a candidate who has been credibly accused of sexual assault&#8221; &#8212; though she did not identify the candidate &#8212; to argue that lawmakers were being hypocritical.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">&#8220;And so if we start applying a standard that somehow a mere association with someone who has been accused or, you know, convicted of criminal conduct &#8212; I think that&#8217;s a very dangerous road to go down,&#8221; she said.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler told the House Oversight Committee that referrals by\u00a0Jeffrey Epstein\u00a0made her law firm &#8220;single-digit millions&#8221; of dollars, according to a transcript released Wednesday, providing lawmakers with another example of how the convicted sex offender used his relationships with the wealthy and powerful to benefit his associates. Ruemmler, who never represented&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/77816b24-d8ee-453d-ac38-84872ccc6b51\/Kathy-Ruemmler-rt-gmh-260730_1785418040018_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}