Kathryn Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under President Barack Obama and former top lawyer at Goldman Sachs, acknowledged during a House Oversight Committee hearing that she made an inappropriate joke in an email exchange with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The testimony took place on July 15, with the transcript released this week.

Ruemmler admitted that in a 2016 email, she wrote the phrase, “Best massage ever, but not your kind of massage,” referencing Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting an underage prostitute. She characterized the comment as being made in “extraordinarily poor taste,” acknowledging her full awareness of Epstein’s prior criminal offenses involving sexualized massages.

“I certainly knew that he had pled guilty to two prostitution-related offenses and that conduct involved sexualized massages,” Ruemmler said during the hearing. “So what I was making here was an offhanded joke that, certainly sitting here in 2026, is in extraordinarily poor taste, but it was a joke about his prior criminal history.”

The former counsel, 55, also addressed her relationship with Epstein, explaining that the “best massage” referenced in the email occurred at The Peninsula hotel in Manhattan after Epstein had gifted her a “half spa day” at the luxury venue. She expressed regret over her association with Epstein, stating, “I wish I never dealt with the guy.”

Ruemmler resigned from Goldman Sachs earlier this year following the public release of her extensive communications with Epstein, which had been obtained and disclosed by the Department of Justice. The disclosures generated renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s connections with prominent figures across various sectors, as well as the judgment exhibited by those who maintained contact with him after his conviction.

The House Oversight Committee’s inquiry into Ruemmler’s communications with Epstein forms part of a broader investigation into the networks surrounding Epstein and the potential implications for individuals who interacted with him before and after his conviction. Ruemmler’s admission underscores the ethical and reputational challenges faced by public officials and corporate executives implicated in such associations.