Goldman Sachs General Counsel Resigns Amid Expanding Epstein File Disclosures and Lutnick Testimony

Goldman Sachs General Counsel Kathy Ruemmler announced her resignation Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile figure to step down following the release of Department of Justice documents detailing past associations with Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, will depart the firm on June 30, 2026. The move follows disclosures that she exchanged numerous emails with Epstein and was one of three individuals he called immediately after his 2019 arrest. While Ruemmler maintained her interactions were strictly professional as a defense attorney, 2019 emails showed her advising Epstein on how to frame his previous legal challenges as a product of media malice and his personal wealth.

This corporate departure coincides with intensifying pressure on U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who testified Tuesday that he visited Epstein’s private island on December 23, 2012. Lutnick’s testimony contradicts his previous claims of severing ties with Epstein in 2005. Despite bipartisan calls for Lutnick's resignation from Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, the White House has maintained its support. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Lutnick as a "very important member" of the administration, while shifting briefing topics toward economic milestones, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassing 50,000 points and recent federal court rulings on migrant detention.

The fallout from the Epstein Files Transparency Act has extended to international and legal sectors. In the United Kingdom, Morgan McSweeney resigned as chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer after advising the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador; Mandelson was later fired over his Epstein connections. Additionally, Brad Karp recently stepped down as chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss following the release of his email correspondence with Epstein. The ongoing document release, which totals 3.5 million pages, has also identified billionaire Les Wexner as a potential co-conspirator in a 2019 FBI document, though his representatives deny he was an investigation target.