{"id":7629,"date":"2026-07-16T12:29:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7629"},"modified":"2026-07-16T12:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:29:50","slug":"kathryn-ruemmler-grilled-over-epstein-ties-at-house-oversight-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7629","title":{"rendered":"Kathryn Ruemmler grilled over Epstein ties at House Oversight hearing"},"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>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler faced a bipartisan grilling in the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday with members of the panel questioning her account of her years-long relationship with the late convicted sex offender <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_975997\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/jeffrey-epstein\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeffrey Epstein.<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Ruemmler, who recently resigned as Goldman Sachs&#8217; top lawyer amid scrutiny over her ties to Epstein, voluntarily appeared for a closed-door interview as part of the committee&#8217;s probe into Epstein and his longtime associate, convicted sex trafficker <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_975998\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/ghislaine-maxwell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ghislaine Maxwell.<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Lawmakers in both parties dismissed her claim that her relationship with Epstein was limited, while Democrats argued she should have been interviewed under oath.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;She was desperately trying to distance herself from Epstein, but the reality is, we have the emails,&#8221; Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., a member of the oversight panel, told Fox News Digital. &#8220;It&#8217;s very clear that she had a pretty friendly relationship with him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Kathryn Ruemmler walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Kathryn Ruemmler, former general counsel of Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, arrives for a closed-door House Oversight Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_975999\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/clinton-judge-orders-doj-unseal-epstein-files-has-been-keeping-hidden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLINTON JUDGE ORDERS DOJ TO UNSEAL THE EPSTEIN FILES IT HAS BEEN KEEPING HIDDEN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Even when we presented her with the emails, all she could say was that she either showed poor judgment or that her jokes about his massages were in poor taste,&#8221; he said. &#8220;She also admitted that she knew about the massages. She just didn&#8217;t know that they were underage girls.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;She knew that this wasn&#8217;t a man of good character, certainly, and someone who is a sex offender and registered as such,&#8221; he went on. &#8220;But she saw dollar signs, and she decided that she would overlook all that because he was rich and powerful.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Wednesday\u2019s interview came after emails released by the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_976000\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/justice-department\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Justice Department<\/a> showed that she met with Epstein numerous times and exchanged emails and gifts years after he was convicted of soliciting a minor in 2008.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The two first connected in 2014 while Ruemmler was a partner at the law firm Latham &amp; Watkins and continued their relationship into 2019.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_976001\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/crime\/sex-crimes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sex trafficking charges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/Oversight-Democrats.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Representative Yassamin Ansari speaks with reporters in Washington, D.C.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., speak to reporters in Washington, D.C., on Friday, June 26, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Valerie Plesch\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_976002\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/clinton-confidant-who-called-maxwell-his-lover-grilled-congress-over-epstein-ties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLINTON CONFIDANT WHO CALLED MAXWELL HIS &#8216;LOVER&#8217; GRILLED BY CONGRESS OVER EPSTEIN TIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Ruemmler has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has said she was unaware of any criminal conduct by Epstein during the years they were in contact.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., also called Ruemmler\u2019s relationship with Epstein &#8220;very concerning.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Looking at the communication between Ruemmler and Epstein is how she tried and worked as hard as anyone \u2014 well I would say more than anyone \u2014 and tried to rehabilitate his image after he was convicted of solicitation of a minor,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So this is someone that was very close with Epstein.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In conversations with reporters, House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., also questioned Ruemmler\u2019s testimony to the panel.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I think it is difficult to see how she&#8217;s being completely truthful in there with the answer that she&#8217;s giving the committee,&#8221; Garcia said.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/343\/192\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/686\/384\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/672\/378\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1344\/756\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/931\/523\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1862\/1046\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/720\/405\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1440\/810\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1200\/675\/comer-epstein-release.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"James Comer, Jeffrey Epstein\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is continuing his panel&#8217;s Epstein investigation into its second year.<\/span> <span>(Tom Williams\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images; Neil Rasmus\/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;She made the decision to have an ongoing personal friendship and relationship with someone that had been accused and convicted of sexual assault with a minor, and she has no explanation as to why she chose to continue that relationship,&#8221; he continued.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/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>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler faced a bipartisan grilling in the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday with members of the panel questioning her account of her years-long relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler, who recently resigned as Goldman Sachs&#8217; top lawyer&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kathryn-Ruemmler.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7629","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=7629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}