Khaberni - Kathy Romley, the Chief Legal Advisor at Goldman Sachs, announced her resignation from her position at the prestigious financial institution on Wall Street, amid escalating controversy over past email exchanges she had with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, revealed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In an interview with the British newspaper "Financial Times", Romley said: "I have come to realize that the media coverage related to me, based on my previous work as a defense lawyer, has become a source of distraction".
Romley, who served as a close advisor to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, has been under intense scrutiny since the Justice Department revealed millions of pages of files linked to Epstein, according to "NBC".
In an official statement, Solomon said: "Throughout her tenure, Kathy was an exceptional legal advisor, and we are grateful for her contributions and sound advice on key legal issues for the company", adding that he accepted her resignation and respects her decision.
Romley previously held the position of White House Legal Counsel during the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Details of the Correspondence
The documents showed that Romley exchanged dozens of friendly messages with Epstein over the years, including after his conviction. In 2015, Epstein asked her for legal advice in one of the messages.
In another message, Romley wrote about Epstein: "I adore him. It's like having another big brother!" A 2016 message from his close assistant mentioned confirming the purchase of a "Hermes" bag for her, while other messages showed her using terms like "dear" and "Uncle Jeffrey".
Romley's name was listed at some point as a backup executor for Epstein's will, but she played no executive role, and her name was removed before his death. Romley confirmed that she only knew Epstein in the context of her work as a criminal defense lawyer, expressing regret for knowing him.
In a statement to the "Wall Street Journal", a spokeswoman for her stated, "The documents are consistent with what Romley has repeatedly affirmed: that she knew Epstein when she was a criminal defense lawyer, and that they shared a client".
The newspaper also reported that Epstein, after his arrest in 2019, was among the first people Romley reached out to.
