Ruemmler
(Photo
by
William
B.
Plowman/NBC/NBC
Newswire/NBCUniversal
via
Getty
Images)
At
some
point,
screaming
“this
is
fine!”
into
the
void
stops
being
aspirational
and
starts
being
delusional.
For
Kathryn
Ruemmler,
that
point
appears
to
have
arrived.
Ruemmler
announced
she’s
resigning
from
her
role
as
Chief
Legal
Officer
and
General
Counsel
of
Goldman
Sachs,
effective
June
30,
2026,
following
renewed
scrutiny
over
her
extensive
communications
with
Jeffrey
Epstein.
“Since
I
joined
Goldman
Sachs
six
years
ago,
it
has
been
my
privilege
to
help
oversee
the
firm’s
legal,
reputational,
and
regulatory
matters;
to
enhance
our
strong
risk
management
processes;
and
to
ensure
that
we
live
by
our
core
value
of
integrity
in
everything
we
do,”
Ruemmler
said
in
a
statement.
“My
responsibility
is
to
put
Goldman
Sachs’
interests
first.
Earlier
today,
I
regretfully
informed
David
Solomon
of
my
intention
to
step
down
as
Chief
Legal
Officer
and
General
Counsel
of
Goldman
Sachs
as
of
June
30,
2026.”
…Yeah
Goldman’s
“core
value
of
integrity”
was
about
stretched
to
its
limits
to
accommodate
thousands
of
emails
with
one
of
the
most
notorious
criminals
of
our
time.
And
the
communications
went
far
beyond
a
routine
professional
relationship.
Career
coaching.
Gift
exchanges.
Cringe-inducing
jokes
that
land
even
worse
in
hindsight.
And
all
of
it
unfolding
while
Ruemmler
later
occupied
one
of
the
most
powerful
roles
in
corporate
America.
Ruemmler’s
statement
frames
her
resignation
as
an
act
of
loyalty
to
the
institution…
but
let’s
not
kid
ourselves.
This
was
the
inevitable
conclusion
of
a
situation
that
became
untenable
the
moment
the
public
was
allowed
to
read
the
receipts.
Goldman,
for
its
part,
is
sticking
to
the
Greatest
Hits
album
of
corporate
exits.
David
Solomon,
CEO
of
Goldman
Sachs,
said
“Throughout
her
tenure,
Kathy
has
been
an
extraordinary
general
counsel,
and
we
are
grateful
for
her
contributions
and
sound
advice
on
a
wide
range
of
consequential
legal
matters
for
the
firm.
As
one
of
the
most
accomplished
professionals
in
her
field,
Kathy
has
also
been
a
mentor
and
friend
to
many
of
our
people,
and
she
will
be
missed.
I
accepted
her
resignation,
and
I
respect
her
decision.”
For
years,
powerful
people
and
institutions
convinced
themselves
that
silence
was
risk
management
and
that
distancing
statements
could
substitute
for
accountability.
They
can’t.
As
more
records
surface
and
more
names
are
dragged
into
the
light,
the
Epstein
fallout
is
only
getting
started.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].