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Goldman’s CEO David Solomon says he ‘reluctantly’ let top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler resign after Epstein fallout

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Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon addressed the complicated situation the firm faced this week as its general counsel and chief legal officer, Kathy Ruemmler, dominated headlines for her past connections and thousands of emails with disgraced former financier Jeffrey Epstein.

She is now set to step down this summer.

Ruemmler submitted her resignation on Thursday, which Solomon said he reluctantly accepted as the media storm grew about a variety of her contacts with Epstein and his lavish gifts to her, all of which transpired before she joined Goldman as its top legal official in 2020.

“She called me yesterday afternoon and told me that the press coverage of the work she had done previously and of this whole situation had just gotten to a level of noise and distraction that she thought it was distracting the firm,” Solomon told CNBC during a live interview on Friday. He added that he had “reluctantly accepted her resignation, but I respect her decision, and she and the firm are looking forward.”

“It was putting her in a position where it was hard for her to execute on her job and her responsibilities,” Solomon said, “and she just thought it was time to step away.”

The CEO said said that Ruemmler’s connections with Epstein predated her time at the Wall Street bank, but acknowledged the complexity the situation presented for the firm’s top leadership. Previously, Ruemmler was a member of President Barack Obama’s White House counsel, advising him on matters related to foreign policy and national security, and later served as a partner at the elite law firm Latham & Watkins before joining Goldman.

“As a CEO and a leadership team, we’re making real-time decisions with a very valued colleague that we worked with very closely, and that’s not an easy thing to work through. There is a lot of nuance to that.” He added that he was “proud of the way Kathy has handled herself and the way we’ve worked through this.”

And he added that Goldman wasn’t the only large organization facing the fallout of high-powered individuals’ apparent connections to Epstein, who died in 2019 but whose legacy has continued to cast a pall over large segments of the corporate sector.

“A lot of people are trying to work through it,” Solomon told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin when pressed for more detail on how the decision came about. He praised Ruemmler’s contributions, calling her “a tremendous human being” who had served as an “extraordinary general counsel with deep, deep experience” for the banking institution.

Ruemmler’s last day at Goldman is set to be June 30, the bank said.

Last month, Goldman representative Tony Fratto said in a statement that it is “well known that Epstein often offered unsolicited favors and gifts to his many business contacts.”

“As Kathy has said many times, she had a professional association with Jeffrey Epstein when she was a lawyer in private practice, heading the defense and investigations practice at a global law firm,” the statement said. “She regrets ever knowing him.”




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Jeffrey Epstein and Brad Karp worked together to surveil woman’s alleged ‘extortion’ attempt

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Before Brad Karp resigned as chairman of Paul Weiss, the elite Wall Street law firm said he interacted with Jeffrey Epstein to “negotiate a series of fee disputes” on behalf of Leon Black, the billionaire former Apollo Global Management CEO.

Recently released records from the Justice Department show the two men also discussed how to handle a woman who allegedly demanded Black pay her $100 million.

The emails show Epstein and Karp trading notes about secret recordings, professional surveillance, and efforts to have the woman arrested for what Epstein described as an “extortion” attempt.

“I have come to the conclusion that we will need to bring in law enforcement sooner rather than later,” Epstein told Karp in a typo-strewn email. “Needs tobe a close sensitive relation Your call on fbi or nypd.”

Karp stepped down as the chair of Paul Weiss on Wednesday after the Epstein files revealed he advised the convicted sex offender on his legal battles with women and asked for help getting his son a role in a Woody Allen movie. He has also resigned from the board of Union College, his alma mater.

The latest emails, some of which were first reported by Law.com, show Karp agreeing with Epstein’s recommendation to have the investigation firm Nardello & Co. surveil the woman — referred to as “GG” — for “a full week” in 2015.

A spokesperson for Nardello confirmed the firm worked on the case for Black’s legal counsel, but denied working with Epstein, who Black paid for financial advice.

“In the course of that engagement, no one at Nardello had any contact or communication with Epstein whatsoever nor did the firm know that Mr. Black’s counsel was sharing documents or other work product with Epstein,” the firm said.

The emails show Karp updated Epstein on GG’s movements in August of that year. He informed Epstein about “GG” staying at an apartment in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood before being “snuck out” through the garage, “in a car with tinted windows,” to JFK airport.

“we have license plate numbers,” Karp told Epstein.

Karp also kept Epstein updated about a transcript of a meeting with GG that took place at the Four Seasons.

“GG is in Moscow; the transcript should be completed tomorrow,” Karp told Epstein in one email. “I’ll send it to you as soon as I receive it.”

Representatives for Paul Weiss didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.

At the time, Black was concluding an extramarital relationship with Guzel Ganieva, according to a 2022 lawsuit he filed against her. In the suit, Black claimed that Ganieva demanded $100 million from him in 2015 during a meeting at the Four Seasons restaurant. The lawsuit accused Ganieva of participating in an “extortion plot” with her lawyers and Black’s rivals, saying she threatened to reveal their relationship to his wife and Apollo’s board if she didn’t get the money. A judge dismissed the lawsuit later that year, finding the lawsuit’s claims were “vague” and “more creative writing than factual.”

A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the “GG” in the newly released emails was a reference to Guzel Ganieva.

Susan Estrich, an attorney representing Black, told Business Insider that Ganieva was trying to “blackmail” Black following a “years long consensual relationship” at the time that Epstein and Karp were exchanging emails.

Guzel, in her own lawsuit, alleged Black forced her into violent sexual encounters while promising to help her with educational and career ambitions. A judge dismissed the allegations, finding a non-disclosure agreement between Ganieva and Black barred her from bringing the case.

Ganieva also said Black introduced her to Epstein, whose relationship with Black led him to step down as the CEO and chairman of Apollo in 2021. An Apollo investigation found Black stopped using Epstein’s financial services in 2018 over a fee dispute.

An attorney for Ganieva didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.

The Justice Department’s files show Nardello, the investigative firm, sent Karp and another Paul Weiss attorney, Lorin Reisner, transcripts of conversations between “GG” and their client, referred to in the transcripts as “John Doe.” Karp then forwarded them to Epstein.

The transcripts show GG and John Doe discussing their past relationship. John Doe repeatedly raises what he claims were GG’s requests for millions of dollars.

“For me, it’s not about money, it’s about respect,” GG told John Doe in a transcript where he refers to her as “Guzel.” “I think you were very unfair to me,” she added.

At one point, Epstein advised Karp and Reisner — who joined Paul Weiss after serving as Chief of the Criminal Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York — to “have her arrested” and possibly deported.

He urged Karp to contact law enforcement before the woman could file a lawsuit.

“i think the extortion claim AFTER a filing is fairly weak. and would be seen to be an intimidattion tactic from a powerful man, if you think you are being extorted,” Epstein wrote with his signature freestyle grammar.

Karp responded enthusiastically.

“I’ll check again with lorin, but my strong belief is that the answer is yes,” he told Epstein. “Especially with the referral coming from the most recent head of the sdny usao.”




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Brad Karp resigns from the Union College board after Epstein files fallout

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  • Brad Karp has resigned from Union College’s board of trustees.
  • This news comes after Karp’s resignation as chairman of Big Law firm Paul Weiss earlier this month.
  • Karp is one of the elite names that appear in the Epstein files.

Top US lawyer Brad Karp has resigned from Union College’s board of trustees as he faces scrutiny from his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Karp has been removed from the list of trustees on his alma mater’s website, from which he graduated in 1981.

Union College’s board chair Julie Greifer Swidler could not be reached for immediate comment. In a statement to local media, Greifer Swidler said Karp had resigned from the board.

“The Board of Trustees and College leadership look forward to continuing our efforts to prepare our outstanding students to lead with wisdom, empathy and courage, while ensuring that Union thrives for decades to come,” she said.

Karp’s departure from the board follows his resignation as chairman of the Big Law firm Paul Weiss last week.

Karp is among the names to appear in 3 million documents released by the Justice Department from its investigation into Epstein.

“Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm,” Karp said in a statement in Paul Weiss’ news release announcing the news.

This story is developing. Please check back fror updates.




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Chappell Roan leaves Casey Wasserman’s talent agency after he appeared in the Epstein files

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Chappell Roan is leaving talent agency Wasserman Music. Last month, the agency’s CEO and founder, Casey Wasserman, appeared in a trove of Department of Justice documents related to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“I hold my teams to the highest standards and have a duty to protect them as well,” Roan wrote. “No artist, agent, or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values.”

The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer said she respected and appreciated staff at the agency but that the decision reflected her “belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust.”


Chappell Roan's Instagram story about Wasserman Music.

Chappell Roan’s Instagram story about Wasserman Music.

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Roan did not explicitly mention Epstein in her post, but it comes after The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter reported about turmoil inside the agency over the CEO’s appearance in the files.

Representatives for Wasserman Music did not respond to a request for comment. The CEO has previously said he regrets the association.

Wasserman appeared in the most recent tranche of Epstein-related documents released by the DOJ. Appearing in the files does not necessarily suggest that a person has engaged in wrongdoing.

The documents included flirtatious email exchanges between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell from 2003.

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of five counts related to a sex trafficking scheme involving minors with Epstein. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.

Wasserman, who is also the chairman of LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, apologized in a statement on January 31.

“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” he said. “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”

Roan, whose name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, has been repped by the talent agency Wasserman since 2023. She is the latest star to leave the agency amidst the Epstein fallout. The artists Beach Bunny, Wednesday, and Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast walked away from the agency in the past week. In 2024, Billie Eilish left the agency for other reasons.




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The DOJ says it took down 9,000 of the Epstein files

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The Justice Department has removed thousands of files linked to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from its website, it said in a court filing.

In a Thursday letter to judges in the Southern District of New York, DOJ officials said they had removed approximately 9,500 documents, in part because they originally included information that identified Epstein’s victims.

The letter was signed by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton. It was filed in the court docket for the criminal cases against Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Victims’ lawyers had asked judges to ensure the Justice Department would protect their privacy.

The Justice Department said in the letter that the takedowns were “temporary” while the documents were reviewed for additional redactions.

It added that in recent days, following the documents’ release, victims of Epstein and their counsels had identified new names and identifiers for redaction “that were not identified prior to publication.”

“Additionally, many of the documents flagged by victims and victim counsel for further review were not necessarily identifying of a particular victim based on the face of the document, itself, and were not obviously sensitive in nature,” the letter said.

The letter said these documents would be further redacted and then reposted. It requested the judges to “not take any further protective measures” while the department is reviewing the documents.

The DOJ’s letter comes days after the Justice Department, on January 31, released 3 million Epstein-related files to the public. The latest tranche of files included big names from the tech and business spheres, such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Reid Hoffman.

In the court filing, the Justice Department said the hiccups could be attributed to the sheer volume of records “from multiple offices and investigations spanning over twenty years” it needed to prepare for public release following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, as well as the “technical capabilities of the document management systems” and “human error.”

A Justice Department spokesperson told Business Insider that it “takes victim protection very seriously.”

“The Department had 500 reviewers looking at millions of pages for this very reason, to meet the requirements of the act while protecting victims,” the spokesperson said. “When a victim’s name is alleged to be unredacted, our team is working around the clock to fix the issue and republish appropriately redacted pages as soon as possible.”




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Brad Karp stepped down as chairman of Paul Weiss

Brad Karp steps down as chair of Big Law firm Paul Weiss after Epstein scrutiny

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  • Brad Karp stepped down as chairman of Big Law firm Paul Weiss on Wednesday amid scrutiny over Epstein ties.
  • Scott Barshay was named the new chairman of the global firm, which has more than 1,000 attorneys.
  • Karp is among the elite names to appear in 3 million documents released by the Justice Department last week.

Brad Karp stepped down as chairman of Big Law firm Paul Weiss on Wednesday amid scrutiny over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Scott Barshay was named the new chairman of the global firm, which has more than 1,000 attorneys, “effective immediately,” the firm said in a news release.

“Leading Paul, Weiss for the past 18 years has been the honor of my professional life,” Karp was quoted as saying in the release. “Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.”

The shakeup comes two days after Paul Weiss said in a statement, as reported by The New York Times, that Karp “attended two group dinners in New York City” with Epstein and “had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets.”

Karp is among the elite names to appear in 3 million documents released by the Justice Department last week from its investigation into Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

He has been at Paul Weiss for four decades and has been chair of the firm since 2008. “Mr. Karp will continue to focus his full-time attention to client service at the firm,” the release said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.




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LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman

LinkedIn billionaire Reid Hoffman reveals he had more meetings with Epstein

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  • LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman said he met with Jeffrey Epstein for fundraising purposes.
  • Hoffman previously said his last meeting with Epstein was in 2015.
  • Now he says there were six more meetings, from 2016 to 2018.

Reid Hoffman says he had more meetings with Jeffrey Epstein than he originally thought.

The billionaire LinkedIn cofounder previously maintained that the last time he met with Epstein was in 2015, and that he only knew Epstein via fundraising efforts for the MIT Media Lab.

This week, as the latest tranche of Epstein-related documents from the Justice Department continues to make headlines, Hoffman revised his accounting.

“I was mistaken, as according to calendar entries I have become aware there were additional fundraising meetings in 2016 and 2018,” Hoffman wrote in a post on X on Tuesday night.

Hoffman listed six additional meetings, including various Skype calls and in-person meetings in Cambridge and Palo Alto. The most recent meeting Hoffman listed was a Skype call in March 2018.

“I have done multiple calendar searches, and if I find any other meetings, I will continue to share them,” Hoffman wrote. “The victims of Epstein’s abhorrent and vile actions deserve all the information they are seeking, and I continue to call on President Trump to deliver that for them.”

Hoffman said that those meetings had also been scheduled as part of his fundraising relationship with the MIT Media Lab.

Hoffman has also said he visited Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, in the US Virgin Islands. In December, he told a podcast host that he stayed on the island for one night on a trip connected to fundraising activities.

“Note to self: Google before going,” Hoffman said on the podcast.

Hoffman’s appearance in the Epstein files has helped reignite the billionaire’s feud with Elon Musk.




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A recurring character in the Epstein files: Snow White

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Snow White has made another appearance in the Epstein files.

A June 2010 email contained in the latest tranche of documents released by the Justice Department shows the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein asking an unidentified person to get a costume of the beloved Disney character.

“i would love to take photos of you in a snow white costume,” Epstein wrote. “you can get it from the costume store.”

“Will get it!” the person responded.

The email — which was first reported by The Financial Times — isn’t the only time that the guest of the Seven Dwarfs has been mentioned in the files.

A few weeks later, ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley sent an email to Epstein, whom he had known for years, that said: “That was fun. Say hi to Snow White.”

Epstein responded: “[W]hat character would you like next?” When Staley said “Beauty and the Beast,” Epstein replied: “Well one side is available.”

Also in July 2010, an unknown person emailed Epstein with the cryptic comment: “the snow white was f..ed twice as soon as she put her costume))”.

It’s not known if there is any connection between the various references to Snow White.

The Staley email exchange was initially released after the government of the Virgin Islands sued JPMorgan Chase, alleging it facilitated Epstein’s sex-trafficking activities in the Caribbean, where he owned two islands.

The VI lawyers claimed in court papers that the Disney princess references were code for young women. Staley, who was a private banker at JPMorgan before he went to Barclays, testified in a different case that he did not remember the emails.

Epstein — who had dealings with the rich, famous, and powerful even after he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 — killed himself in a Manhattan prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sweeping sex-trafficking charges.

Scrutiny of Staley’s ties to Epstein led to his departure from Barclays in 2021. Two years later, Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority banned him from management positions in financial services.

Staley appealed, which resulted in him taking the stand, where he testified that his relationship with Epstein was largely professional. He also testified that he had sex with one of Epstein’s staff members at the apartment of Epstein’s brother. The ban was upheld.

Lawyers for Staley didn’t immediately return a request for comment.




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Longevity influencer Peter Attia steps down from protein bar brand after being named in the Epstein files

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Longevity doctor and media personality Peter Attia has stepped down from his role at a popular wellness brand after newly released documents revealed friendly exchanges with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Attia stepped down as chief science officer of David Protein, a protein snack bar company he helped promote and invest in, the company confirmed on Monday.

The move comes after the Department of Justice released a new tranche of Epstein-related court documents last week, drawing scrutiny to Attia’s past correspondence with Epstein.

“Dr. Peter Attia has stepped down from his role as Chief Science Officer at David. We remain focused on serving our customers,” founder Peter Rahal wrote on X.

Attia was also named among 19 new CBS News contributors just days before the emails between him and Epstein were made public. CBS editor in chief Bari Weiss has since faced public calls to cut ties with him.

CBS News and David Protein could not be reached for comment.

In emails from 2015 and 2016, included in the latest release, Attia used joking and familiar language with Epstein, including references to Epstein’s “outrageous” lifestyle and a crude sexual joke.

On Monday, Attia issued a public apology, calling some of the emails “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible,” and saying he was “ashamed of myself for everything about this.”

Attia, 52, is a well-known antiaging and longevity expert with roughly 1.6 million Instagram followers.

“I am not asking anyone to ignore the emails or pretend they aren’t ugly,” he wrote on X. “They simply are.”

He said he was not involved in any criminal activity and said his interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with Epstein’s sexual abuse or exploitation.

“The man I am today, roughly ten years later, would not write them and would not associate with Epstein at all,” he said.




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No, Jeffrey Epstein didn’t have a baby boy, his brother says

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Jeffrey Epstein did not have any children, despite what an email in just-released documents suggested, his brother told Business Insider.

“No, Jeff didn’t have any kids,” Mark Epstein said Monday. “If Jeff had a kid, I think I would have known.”

The denial comes in reaction to a set of messages included in the latest cache of Epstein files issued by the US Department of Justice.

The messages, sent in September 2011, are signed “Sarah xx” and reference “The Duke.” They appear to have been sent through BlackBerry Messenger.

The sender’s name and email address were redacted by the Justice Department. The BBC and other British media outlets have reported that they may have come from Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of the former Prince Andrew, who also held the title Duke of York.

“Don’t know if you are still on this bbm but heard from The Duke that you have had a baby boy,” one message says. “Even though you never kept in touch, I still am here with love, friendship and congratualtions on your baby boy.”

A follow-up message sent the same day accused Epstein of befriending her “to get to Andrew.”

“You have disappeared. I did not even know you were having a baby,” the message said. “It was sooooo crystal clear to me that you were only friends with me to get to Andrew. And that really hurt me deeeply. More than you will know.”

A representative for Ferguson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The former prince is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He relinquished his royal titles last year, around the release of a posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who accused him and Epstein of sexual abuse. In 2022, the former royal had also settled a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre.

Another message from “Sarah,” dated January 2010, expressed intense gratitude for Epstein.

“You are a legend. I really don’t have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness,” Sarah wrote. “Xx I am at your service . Just marry me.”

Aside from the “baby boy” message, the vast public corpus of emails and other documents released so far has made no reference to Epstein having a child.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.




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