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Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathy Ruemmler appeared to ask Jeffrey Epstein if he planned to “trade one of your Russians for my comp” in an email exchange about her negotiating a potential job at hedge fund Citadel, according to documents released by the US justice department.
Ruemmler, who was then a partner at law firm Latham & Watkins, held extensive discussions in June 2016 with Epstein when she was considering a role at Citadel, the hedge fund founded by Ken Griffin, the documents showed.
The email exchanges, which have not been previously reported, are further evidence of Ruemmler’s ties to the convicted sex offender, documented in thousands of communications between them spanning 2014 to 2019. Goldman has characterised her relationship with Epstein as “professional”.
In a June 2016 exchange about the Citadel job, Epstein wrote “there is the off chance that Griffin might just be interested in a woman”. Ruemmler responded that she did not expect to be hired because she was a female candidate, prompting Epstein to say he “meant romantically”.
“Oh, Jesus — meaning you are going to trade one of your Russians for my comp?!!” Ruemmler replied, using a common reference for compensation.
Griffin was not included in the email chain and there is no evidence Epstein followed through or played any direct role in negotiations over Ruemmler’s potential role at Citadel. Epstein wrote in a separate message later that month to an associate about Griffin, “I never met him”.
Citadel said in a statement to the FT that “Ken never met with or communicated with Jeffrey Epstein”. Ruemmler did not join Citadel and remained at Latham until she was hired by Goldman in 2020.
Epstein appears to have had dealings with Russian models in the years before he was rearrested by US authorities in 2019, according to findings by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
A document prepared by Deutsche Bank for New York prosecutors shows a table of payments from Epstein’s accounts to several women who appeared to be Russian models. It lists 28 payments to “ostensible foreign models”, totalling nearly $875,000.
Goldman and chief executive David Solomon have staunchly defended Ruemmler, saying her interactions with Epstein were typical of a business relationship. Goldman spokesperson Tony Fratto declined additional comment, saying: “All our prior statements about her stand. The team here is focused on our business.”
A spokesperson for Ruemmler, who from 2011 to 2014 was Barack Obama’s White House counsel, said she “had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal conduct on [Epstein’s] part”.
“It is despicable to single out and attack a highly respected female professional simply because of her benign interactions with Jeffrey Epstein,” the spokesperson said.
Talks about the Citadel job came up periodically between Epstein and Ruemmler following the conversation about Griffin, as she weighed whether she wanted a position at the hedge fund.
In September, Ruemmler wrote to Epstein that she was “clearly avoiding the Griffin thing. Going to tell him that the hedge fund is not my deal”.
Later that day Epstein advised Ruemmler on how to handle things with Citadel.
“I want you to have what you want. you will not take the job at citadel. however how you tell them no, and why, blah, sets you up for other opportunities and for firm biz. not engaging after all this time is rude and many elephants could lose their lives,” Epstein wrote.
The FT has previously reported on justice department documents showing Epstein gave Ruemmler lavish gifts, including an Hermès bag, Apple products, spa appointments, haircuts and plane tickets. “Am totally tricked out by Uncle Jeffrey today! Jeffrey boots, handbag, and watch!” she wrote in one email in January 2019.
Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida in 2008. He was rearrested by US authorities in July 2019 and indicted by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. He died in jail the following month while awaiting trial.
Additional reporting by Robert Smith
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