Goldman Sachs (GS.N) chief legal officer Kathy Ruemmler will resign effective June 30, CEO David Solomon said on Thursday, after U.S. Justice Department documents revealed her interactions with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, including accepting gifts and advising him on media responses related to his criminal cases, Reuters reported.

Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under the Obama administration and previously global chair of the white-collar defense and investigations practice at Latham & Watkins LLP, had extensive communications with Epstein from 2014 to 2019, even after his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution. Emails show she referred to Epstein as "Uncle Jeffrey" and received items including wine, handbags, and a watch.

In one 2018 exchange, a third party acting for Epstein offered to buy her an Apple Watch. Ruemmler replied: "I love the Hermes one! If truly okay with him to do the Hermes, I would love the 40 mm, stainless Hermes with bleu indigo swift leather double tour." In 2019, she thanked Epstein for additional gifts: "Am totally tricked out by Uncle Jeffrey today! Jeffrey boots, handbag, and watch!"

The Justice Department documents also detail calls Epstein made to Ruemmler, including on July 6, 2019, the night of his arrest on sex trafficking charges. An FBI note cited him asking: "Is this about sex trafficking. Is this about underage," and adding, "Oh this is bad, this is pretty bad." Epstein died the following month in a Manhattan jail cell, ruled a suicide.

Ruemmler resigned after informing Solomon on Thursday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. She told the Financial Times that the media focus on her prior work as a defense attorney had become a distraction. "I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defence attorney, was becoming a distraction," she said. Ruemmler did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Solomon acknowledged her departure, stating: "As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision."

The documents further reveal Ruemmler advised Epstein in 2019 on how to respond to media questions concerning his perceived special legal treatment because of his connections. She told Reuters on February 3: "I was a defense attorney when I dealt with Jeffrey Epstein. I got to know him as a lawyer and that was the foundation of my relationship with him. I had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal conduct on his part and I did not know him as the monster he has been revealed to be. These decade-old private emails you are selectively referencing and pruriently reporting on have nothing to do with my work at Goldman Sachs."