Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee had harsh criticism for Kathy Ruemmler, the former top counsel for Goldman Sachs, as she testified Wednesday as part of the panel’s ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking to reporters during a break in proceedings, Democratic members of the committee questioned Ruemmler’s credibility and the nature of her ties to the late, convicted sex offender.
“Her responses have been shameful,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s top Democrat, told reporters. “We can all read the emails in the files about her making jokes about massages, about her making jokes about Russian women, about her making jokes about Epstein’s girls. For her to deny that there was any type of real relationship there — I don’t buy that.”
Heading into the transcribed interview Wednesday morning, House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said that Ruemmler was “the one that was with [Epstein] until the very end,” and that she worked to “rehabilitate his image.”
Committee members pressed Ruemmler inside the closed-door meeting on the content of her emails, which were released by the Justice Department months ago as part of a trove of Epstein case files, as well as on the gifts she received from Epstein and on the advice that she exchanged with him.
She’s the latest former Democratic official and Wall Street operative to appear before the Oversight panel, which has also brought in former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Ruemmler served as counsel for the Obama administration before leaving for the private sector, where she connected with Epstein while at law firm Latham & Watkins.
Ruemmler told the Oversight Committee that Epstein was a “masterful liar,” that he used her and others to legitimize himself and that it was a “mistake to deal with him,” according to a copy of her opening statement viewed by POLITICO.
“[If] I had seen or heard any evidence suggesting that he was abusing women or girls, I would have immediately reported him,” she said, according to prepared remarks — adding that she cut ties with Epstein following his 2019 indictment.
But Democrats left the first half of her testimony unsatisfied by her claims that she did not have a friendship with Epstein. “We know that is BS,” Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) told reporters.
“She’s taking no responsibility, and we’re going to continue to grill her,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) told reporters. “We don’t care if she’s a Democrat.”
“Ms. Ruemmler testified openly and truthfully for six hours and answered every question the committee asked,” Ruemmler’s spokesperson, Jennifer Connelly, said in a statement.
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