Ex-White House counsel casts doubt on credibility of Epstein accuser's testimony

Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama and later as general counsel at Goldman Sachs, has faced scrutiny over her ties to Jeffrey Epstein. During a House oversight committee interview earlier this month, she questioned the credibility of some claims made by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers.

According to transcripts released Wednesday, Ruemmler responded "I don't know" when asked if she believed Giuffre was a victim of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She added that while she had no reason to doubt Giuffre's statement that she was a victim, some of Giuffre's allegations "lacked inherent credibility" because they involved multiple world leaders and foreign presidents—unlike typical sex trafficking claims.

Giuffre's family condemned Ruemmler's remarks. Her brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, told CNN that Ruemmler should be ashamed and that the only person lacking credibility is Ruemmler herself. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.

Ruemmler's name appeared thousands of times in Epstein-related files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The files showed she accepted gifts from Epstein, addressed him as "Uncle Jeffrey" and "sweetie" in emails, and gave informal advice on how to respond to questions about his crimes. At one point, she was listed as a backup executor of his will.

Ruemmler told lawmakers that she had no knowledge of ongoing criminal activity by Epstein and that she would have acted if she had seen any evidence. She described their relationship as professional and said Epstein had used her to legitimize his standing, calling it "a mistake to deal with him." She resigned from Goldman Sachs in February 2026.

A spokesperson for Ruemmler stated that she was responding to specific allegations and that her skepticism was about unsubstantiated claims, not all of Giuffre's allegations.