Jeffrey Epstein Showered Ex-Obama Lawyer With Lavish Gifts, Expensive Spa Treatment: Report

Last Updated:January 31, 2026, 11:33 IST

Former White House lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler received luxury gifts and exchanged emails with Jeffrey Epstein after leaving government service, a report has claimed.

A file photo of Jeffrey Epstein (L)/Kathryn Ruemmler (R) (Reuters/AFP)

A new report by the New York Post claims that former White House and Barack Obama lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler cultivated a close relationship with disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after leaving government service.

The report also claims that Ruemmler later received thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts from Epstein, according to emails and records released Friday by the United States Department of Justice.

According to the report, Ruemmler, now general counsel at Goldman Sachs, enjoyed a half-day spa visit in Washington in August 2016 that Epstein paid for, followed weeks later by the delivery of a luxury Hermès handbag valued at about $9,400.

The report claimed the spa outing was first detailed by the Washington Free Beacon.

Emails cited in the report suggest Ruemmler coordinated the spa appointment and reacted exuberantly when the handbag arrived.

The Post further reported that earlier and later gifts included bouquets of flowers sent to her office, a Hermès-branded Apple Watch in 2018 retailing for about $1,300, and plans discussed by Epstein’s household staff to provide her with a ring, wine and a card.

The correspondence also, according to the Post, casts doubt on Ruemmler’s statement last month to CNN that she “was not compensated" for representing Epstein or offering him public-relations guidance.

A Goldman Sachs spokesman, Tony Fratto, told the paper that Epstein was known to extend unsolicited favours and gifts to business contacts.

All of the exchanges described in the Post occurred after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The report claimed that other emails involved former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, in which Epstein wrote that Ruemmler had suggested how to respond to an upcoming article in The Washington Post about his earlier non-prosecution agreement with federal authorities.

Separate communications, also cited by the Post, showed Ruemmler seeking Epstein’s counsel in 2014 about possibly pursuing a senior Justice Department position during the administration of Barack Obama.

She ultimately stayed at the law firm Latham & Watkins, where she headed its international white-collar defence practice.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DEFENDS MASS RELEASE OF FILES

The Post revelations surfaced as the Justice Department began publishing millions of pages from the Epstein archive.

News agency AFP said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche insisted the White House had no role in the review process and rejected claims that embarrassing material involving President Donald Trump had been shielded.

“They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what not redact," Blanche said, according to AFP, adding later, “We didn’t protect or not protect anybody."

AFP reported that the Justice Department acknowledged some of the newly released material contained “untrue and sensationalist claims," including submissions made to the FBI before the 2020 election.

Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer, dismissed suggestions that the department selectively redacted damaging references to the president.

Blanche told reporters that images of women and girls were being withheld except those of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking underage girls for Epstein.

Survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse, however, issued a statement saying identifying details about them still appeared in the records and called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to address the issue when she testifies before Congress next month.

AFP added that earlier document releases had highlighted Epstein’s links to major figures across politics, business and entertainment, including Trump and former president Bill Clinton, neither of whom has been accused of wrongdoing.

The agency reported that a draft email in the latest tranche included claims about Bill Gates that his foundation denied to The New York Times, while other messages referenced filmmaker Woody Allen and Hollywood producer and sports-team owner Steve Tisch.

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