Feb 13 (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon stated he had reluctantly accepted Chief Legal Officer Kathy Ruemmler’s resignation, he informed CNBC on Friday and confused that he revered her resolution to go away.
“I reluctantly accepted her resignation, but I respect her decision,” he informed CNBC in an interview.
Recent paperwork launched by the U.S. Justice Department confirmed Ruemmler accepted presents from late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein and suggested him on the best way to handle media inquiries concerning his crimes.
The departure of Ruemmler, who was among the many prime government officers of the Wall Street agency, is essentially the most high-profile banking exit after the launch of the newest Epstein paperwork.
Solomon informed CNBC Ruemmler known as him on Thursday afternoon and informed him that the press protection of the work that she had achieved beforehand had “just gotten to a level of noise and distraction that she thought was distracting the firm.”
“It was putting her in a position where it was hard for her to execute on her job and her responsibilities, and she just thought it was time to step away,” Solomon stated.
Ruemmler had a lot of communications with Epstein from 2014 to 2019, even after the disgraced financier’s 2008 responsible plea for procuring an individual underneath the age of 18 for prostitution, the paperwork confirmed.
Before becoming a member of Goldman Sachs in 2020, Ruemmler was world chair of the white collar protection and investigations apply at Latham & Watkins LLP.
Ruemmler, who was additionally White House counsel through the Obama administration, referred to Epstein in emails as “Uncle Jeffrey” and acquired presents from him together with wine and a purse, the paperwork present.
Epstein additionally known as Ruemmler’s mobile phone when he was arrested on July 6, 2019, amongst different calls he made that evening, in accordance with two paperwork that cited notes from legislation enforcement officers.
Ruemmler couldn’t be reached for a remark.
Goldman backed the lawyer through the launch of the a number of paperwork by the U.S. Justice Department, with Solomon saying on Thursday in an announcement she was one of essentially the most completed professionals in her area.
On Friday, he informed CNBC, Goldman’s administration group labored very intently with Ruemmler over the past six years.
“We know her as a professional and we know her as a human being. And I think that’s lost sometimes in some of the dialogue,” Solomon stated on CNBC. “I’m disappointed that it got to this.”
(Reporting by Anna Peverieri in Barcelona and Saeed Azhar in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)