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The documents show that she helped Epstein fight to preserve his controversial 2008 plea deal that allowed him to avoid federal prison. She drafted proposed public statements on his behalf. She edited correspondence with a sitting U.S. Senator. She participated in discussions about victim settlements.
In 2015, Ruemmler was reportedly among the lawyers involved in efforts to shut down a planned Good Morning America interview with Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
The privilege log indicates Epstein’s legal team, including Ruemmler, threatened ABC News with legal action if the interview aired.
Goldman Sachs Scrambles Behind the Scenes
As the details emerged, Goldman Sachs moved quickly to project calm.
But according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, at least one senior Goldman executive discussed preparing a contingency plan in case Ruemmler needed to depart following the Epstein revelations.
Goldman publicly denied that any such planning was underway.
Yet the mounting evidence continues to raise eyebrows.
Ruemmler’s name reportedly appears in more than 300 entries within the privilege log, which documents communications between Epstein and his attorneys from 2008 through July 2019.
That volume alone suggests a relationship far deeper than occasional advice.
Emails Reveal Personal Familiarity
Previously released emails paint an even more troubling picture.
In some exchanges, Ruemmler and Epstein discussed Donald Trump, with Epstein allegedly calling him “truly stupid.”
In another message, Ruemmler joked about stopping at a New Jersey rest stop and said she would have “a mild panic attack” from observing people who were “at least 100 pounds overweight.”
Epstein reportedly knew Ruemmler’s sushi order — avocado rolls. He visited apartments she was considering buying. He even listed her as a backup executor in a version of his will created in 2019.
For someone who maintains she never represented Epstein, the level of familiarity raises obvious questions.
Pro Bono Defense for a Wealthy Predator
Ruemmler has insisted she was never paid for her legal work on Epstein’s behalf.
That means she provided extensive pro bono legal services to a wealthy convicted sex offender — services that would normally cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Pro bono work is traditionally reserved for indigent defendants or public-interest causes.
Instead, Ruemmler offered it to Epstein while earning a reported $22.5 million in 2024 as Goldman Sachs’ chief legal officer.
One 2015 legal memorandum detailed in the filing shows Ruemmler analyzing a federal lawsuit that threatened to unravel Epstein’s 2008 non-prosecution agreement — the very deal that shielded him from harsher punishment.
Legal Experts Raise Alarming Questions
Legal scholars say compensation is irrelevant when determining attorney-client privilege.
Ken Broun, an emeritus law professor at the University of North Carolina, explained that privilege depends on the client’s belief that legal advice was being given.
If Epstein sought legal guidance from Ruemmler and she provided it, the communications are protected — regardless of whether a formal contract existed.
That reality raises a troubling question: what exactly is buried in the emails that Epstein’s estate is so desperate to keep hidden?
Goldman Faces a Reputational Reckoning
The privilege log portrays Ruemmler as part of a small, trusted inner circle of lawyers Epstein repeatedly consulted as his legal exposure intensified.
That is not the profile of a casual advisor.
It is the profile of a legal confidant.
Now Goldman Sachs finds itself defending one of its most senior executives while reportedly preparing for the possibility that her position may become untenable.
An Obama-era legal heavyweight quietly advising one of America’s most infamous criminals has proven to be a liability no investment bank can easily explain away.
And the fallout may only be beginning.
