Former Goldman Sachs Lawyer Reveals Epstein's Lucrative Ties

WHO:

ABC News - Kathy Ruemmler, former White House counsel and top lawyer at Goldman Sachs.

ABC News - Jeffrey Epstein, convicted sex offender.

ABC News - Ariane de Rothschild, French banker and business acquaintance of Epstein.

ABC News - Virginia Giuffre, accuser of Epstein, who alleged abuse and trafficking.

ABC News - Sky and Amanda Roberts, family members of Virginia Giuffre.

WHAT:

ABC News - Kathy Ruemmler stated that her law firm earned "single-digit millions" of dollars from referrals made by Jeffrey Epstein.

ABC News - Ruemmler described her final conversation with Epstein as "a very short conversation, probably less than a minute," where he mentioned only that he had been arrested.

ABC News - Ruemmler acknowledged that her emails with Epstein, including one where she wrote, "victim's rights, my ass," could be perceived as callous towards victims.

ABC News - Ruemmler stated that she communicated with Epstein in 2015 about "very extreme allegations" raised by Virginia Giuffre, which she believed lacked credibility.

ABC News - Family members of Virginia Giuffre criticized Ruemmler, stating, "The only person who lacks credibility is Kathy Ruemmler, who is trying to get people to believe she didn't know Jeffrey Epstein was actively engaged in sex trafficking."

ABC News - Kathy Ruemmler stated that she met with Epstein approximately 20 times between 2014 and 2019.

ABC News - Ruemmler acknowledged that her joke about Epstein's massages was made in "extraordinarily poor taste."

ABC News - Ruemmler stated, "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."

ABC News - Ruemmler said, "The information gathered during this investigation is, simply, devastating," referring to the findings of the investigation into sexual misconduct at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

ABC News - Kathy Ruemmler stated that Epstein helped her secure work with French banker Ariane de Rothschild and connected another attorney at her firm with a client in a criminal case.

ABC News - Ruemmler described her final conversation with Epstein as "a very short conversation, probably less than a minute," where he only mentioned that he had been arrested.

ABC News - Ruemmler referred to an email where she joked, “Best massage ever, but not your kind of massage,” acknowledging it was made in “extraordinarily poor taste.”

ABC News - Ruemmler stated, "In the American legal system we hold people accountable for their conduct. We don't hold people accountable for their associations."

ABC News - Ruemmler stated that referrals by Epstein made her law firm "single-digit millions" of dollars.

ABC News - Ruemmler met with Epstein approximately 20 times between 2014 and 2019.

ABC News - Ruemmler acknowledged that her joke about Epstein's massages was made in "extraordinarily poor taste."

ABC News - Ruemmler resigned from Goldman Sachs earlier in the year after her communications with Epstein were released.

WHERE:

ABC News - Ruemmler appeared before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door session.

ABC News - Ruemmler attended Epstein's criminal arraignment in Manhattan.

WHEN:

ABC News - Ruemmler appeared before the House Oversight Committee on July 15.

ABC News - Ruemmler had her final conversation with Epstein after his arrest in July 2019.

WHY:

ABC News - Ruemmler defended her relationship with Epstein, stating, "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."

ABC News - Ruemmler defended her relationship with Epstein as strictly professional, stating, "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."

ABC News - Ruemmler continued to work with Epstein because he expressed "remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct."

ABC News - Ruemmler believed Giuffre's allegations lacked "the indicia of credibility that one would expect."

HOW:

ABC News - Ruemmler communicated with Epstein about allegations raised by Giuffre in 2015, stating that those allegations lacked "the indicia of credibility that one would expect."

ABC News - Ruemmler communicated with Epstein in 2015 about what she called "very extreme allegations" raised by Virginia Giuffre of being abused by Epstein and trafficked to other prominent men.

ABC News - Ruemmler communicated with Epstein in 2015 about "very extreme allegations" raised by Virginia Giuffre, stating that those allegations lacked "the indicia of credibility that one would expect."

ABC News - Ruemmler provided legal and public relations advice to Epstein without formally representing him.

ABC News - Ruemmler communicated with Epstein about allegations raised by Giuffre in 2015.

(UPDATED July 31, 2026 02:53 UTC)

Kathy Ruemmler revealed that her law firm earned "single-digit millions" from referrals made by Jeffrey Epstein, while also describing their last conversation as brief, lasting less than a minute, where he only mentioned his arrest. She acknowledged that her emails with Epstein, including one where she expressed skepticism about victims' rights, could be seen as insensitive, especially after family members of Virginia Giuffre criticized her credibility regarding Epstein's actions. Ruemmler defended her relationship with Epstein, asserting that if she had any evidence of abuse, she would have reported him to law enforcement, while also stating that she found Giuffre's allegations from 2015 to lack credibility.

(UPDATED July 30, 2026 22:25 UTC)

Kathy Ruemmler revealed that she met with Epstein around twenty times between 2014 and 2019, defending their relationship as strictly professional and stating that she would have reported any evidence of abuse to law enforcement. She acknowledged that her joke about Epstein's massages was made in "extraordinarily poor taste," while also asserting that she did not witness any ongoing criminal conduct during her dealings with him. Ruemmler described the findings of the investigation into sexual misconduct at Interlochen Center for the Arts as "simply devastating," and mentioned her communication with Epstein regarding "very extreme allegations" raised by Virginia Giuffre.

(UPDATED July 30, 2026 17:35 UTC)

Kathy Ruemmler revealed that Jeffrey Epstein assisted her in securing work with French banker Ariane de Rothschild and connected another attorney at her firm with a client involved in a criminal case. In a brief conversation with Epstein, she recalled him mentioning his arrest, and she later acknowledged an email where she joked about a massage, admitting it was in "extraordinarily poor taste." Family members of Virginia Giuffre have criticized Ruemmler, asserting that she lacks credibility and suggesting she was aware of Epstein's involvement in sex trafficking.

(UPDATED July 30, 2026 16:33 UTC)

Kathy Ruemmler, a former White House counsel and top lawyer at Goldman Sachs, recently appeared before the House Oversight Committee, where she discussed her extensive interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler revealed that her law firm made "single-digit millions" from referrals by Epstein and acknowledged that her joke about his massages was in "extraordinarily poor taste." She also expressed that she continued to work with Epstein because he showed "remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct," while questioning the credibility of Virginia Giuffre's allegations against him.