Kathryn Ruemmler, a lawyer at Goldman Sachs, testified before the House Oversight Committee on July 15 regarding her professional association with Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler’s name appears extensively in documents related to Epstein spanning from 2014 to 2019. During the hearing, she maintained that her relationship with Epstein was strictly professional, and she was unaware of any ongoing criminal conduct on his part.

Ruemmler acknowledged that Epstein had given her gifts, named her as a backup executor in his will at one point, and contacted her following his 2019 arrest. However, she denied involvement in any illegal activity and described some incriminating emails exchanged with Epstein as offhand jokes made in poor taste. When questioned about emails where she referred to Epstein with terms such as “darling” and “Uncle Jeffrey” or discussed sexualized massages allegedly involving Epstein’s staff, Ruemmler expressed regret for the communications but insisted they were not meant to be taken seriously.

Addressing accusations from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s primary accusers who died by suicide in 2025, Ruemmler questioned the credibility of some of Giuffre’s claims. She said she was “inherently skeptical” of allegations she considered lacking internal consistency, particularly those involving trafficking to multiple world leaders and foreign presidents. Ruemmler noted that typical trafficking claims specify details such as who, when, and where, which she found absent from Giuffre’s assertions. The family of Giuffre responded to Ruemmler’s testimony, calling it “reprehensible” to doubt Giuffre’s credibility and asserting that Ruemmler herself lacked credibility.

Ruemmler described Epstein as a client who paid for sexualized massages but claimed he did not knowingly engage minors, characterizing him as a “john” rather than a trafficker. She referenced Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement and charges in Florida in support of her understanding that any underage individuals were not knowingly involved by Epstein. She said Epstein had told her that a small number of the women providing massages at his Palm Beach home were underage, but he claimed ignorance of their age at the time.

Asked why she declined to join Epstein’s defense team after his 2019 arrest, Ruemmler explained that the new indictment’s allegations, which involved enticement and recruitment of minors, presented a far graver and more troubling set of accusations than she had previously understood. She said she found the charges disturbing and chose not to participate in the defense.

Regarding her disclosure of Epstein ties to Goldman Sachs, Ruemmler said she informed the firm before accepting her position there that she had dealings with Epstein in her prior legal work but clarified he was not her client. She did not disclose Epstein’s call to her after his arrest or the gifts received, stating she did not consider such gifts improper or requiring affirmative disclosure. A spokeswoman for Ruemmler emphasized that the lawyer had proactively revealed her association with Epstein before joining Goldman Sachs and had been transparent in all subsequent interactions.