On their face, Ruemmler’s emails with Epstein over that period suggest a cozy friendship. But context provides a different side, I am told. Epstein offered trips to his infamous island in the Caribbean, which she repeatedly blew off. She gives legal and PR advice to Epstein but only when she was asked. She refers to Epstein as “Uncle Jeffrey” after receiving boots from him, which she has said is a sarcastic quip, I am told.
Based on my experience, most folks on Wall Street would have trouble seeing how any of this looks out of place in a typical business relationship. Ruemmler and Epstein never socialized; they didn’t know each other’s family.
As for Epstein’s conviction on a count of soliciting sex with an underaged prostitute, he explained it to Ruemmler as a mistake with a 17-year old. It was the same thing he told me during an interview in 2019, just before his arrest and apparent suicide in a Manhattan federal lockup.
At the time, Ruemmler was inclined to believe Epstein, I am told, because of the leniency of his sentence – a mere 13 months in a county jail. She was, afterall, a former federal prosecutor who understood sentencing guidelines. Plus, he maintained his well-heeled and reputable circle of friends. It was long before his second arrest that showed the alleged breadth of his crimes.
