Kathryn Ruemmler

Kathryn Ruemmler
White House Counsel
In office June 30, 2011 – June 2, 2014
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Bob Bauer
Succeeded by	Neil Eggleston
Personal details
Born	(1971-04-19) April 19, 1971 (age 52) Richland, Washington, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Washington (BA) Georgetown University (JD)

Kathryn "Kathy" Ruemmler (born April 19, 1971) is an attorney who formerly served as Principal Deputy White House Counsel and then

Ruemmler is a former federal prosecutor who helped lead the government's case against the former executives of Enron.^{[citation needed]}

Ruemmler clerked for Judge Timothy K. Lewis on the Third Circuit in 1996 and 1997 .^[6] From 2000 to 2001 she served as Associate Counsel to President Clinton. She worked as a federal prosecutor from 2001 to 2007, first as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia,^[7] and finishing as a deputy director of DOJ's Enron Task Force. In 2006, she delivered the government's closing argument in the trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, both of whom were convicted. She returned^{[citation needed]} to Latham in Washington, D.C. in 2007, this time as a partner, but left in January 2009 to serve as principal associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department. She served as White House Counsel from 2011 to 2014, and then again returned to Latham.

In 2020, Ruemmler joined Goldman Sachs as a partner. She currently serves as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel; she was previously Global Head of Regulatory Affairs. She serves on the firmwide Management Committee.^[8]

While she was employed as a partner at

In October 2011, Ruemmler said that there is no evidence of the White House intervening in Solyndra's loan guarantee to benefit a campaign donor. Her letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee also denies an effort by committee Republicans for access to internal White House communications. The letter goes on to deny Republican claims of improper White House influence in the Energy Department's 2009 decision to grant the company a $535 million loan guarantee, and the deal's early 2011 revamp that put private investors ahead of taxpayers for repayment if the company liquidated.^[10]

Over what would have traditionally been the 2011-2012 winter recess of the

On January 6, 2012, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion regarding recess appointments and pro forma sessions, stating that "[t]he convening of periodic pro forma sessions in which no business is to be conducted does not have the legal effect of interrupting an intrasession recess otherwise long enough to qualify as a "Recess of the Senate" under the Recess Appointments Clause. In this context, the President therefore has discretion to conclude that the Senate is unavailable to perform its advise-and-consent function and to exercise his power to make recess appointments."^[15][16]

After

In a profile by the Washington Post, it was reported that during negotiations over

John Brennan's confirmation as CIA director, according to a White House official, it was Ruemmler who decided that the House and Senate intelligence panels could review the e-mails about different drafts of the Benghazi talking points without letting them take copies. The administration shifted course this month by releasing the e-mails after weeks of controversy over their content.^[18]

She announced plans that she would be stepping down as White House Counsel in mid May.[19] She returned to private practice in July 2014.^[20]

In September 2014 when Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to step down, Ruemmler was speculated as being a potential candidate as the next United States Attorney General.^[21][22] She withdrew from consideration the following month, amid speculation that she would have faced a "difficult confirmation process" because of her close friendship with President Obama.^[23]

FINRA board member, 2023^[24]

Personal life

Design firm

French Oak), leather, silk, and steel.^[25][26][27]

See also

• Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kathryn Ruemmler.

1. ^ "Former Enron prosecutor Kathy Ruemmler named White House counsel". Houston Chronicle. June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
2. Latham and Watkins
   . Retrieved 19 May 2018.
3. ^ "Management Committee - Kathryn Ruemmler - Goldman Sachs". Goldman Sachs. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
4. ^ "Top Enron Trial Prosecutor Started out in Richland". KNDU. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
5. National Archives
   .
6. ^ "Kathryn Ruemmler". 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
7. ^ Johnson, Carrie (18 Jan 2006). "Taking Enron to Task". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
8. ^ American Law Institute. ""Kathryn Ruemmler"". American Law Institute. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
9. ^ ^{a b} Khadeeja Safdar & David Benoit (30 April 2023). "Epstein's Private Calendar Reveals Prominent Names, Including CIA Chief, Goldman's Top Lawyer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
10. ^ Geman, Ben (2011-10-15). "White House counsel: No evidence that Solyndra aid was gift to donors". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
11. ^ Beutler, Brian (2012-01-04). "GOP Furious As Obama Recess Appoints Cordray". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
12. ^ Mcconnell, Michael (January 10, 2012). "Democrats and Executive Overreach". The Wall Street Journal.
13. ^ Savage, Charlie (January 4, 2012). "Obama Tempts Fight Over Recess Appointments". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
14. ^ Pelofsky, Jeremy (January 5, 2012). "Analysis: Obama consumer chief decision under a legal cloud". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
15. ^ "DOJ Office of Legal Counsel: Opinions by Date and Title". Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
16. ^ "Lawfulness of Recess Appointments During a Recess of the Senate Notwithstanding Periodic Pro Forma Sessions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 18, 2012.
17. ^ Parnes, Amie (2012-06-28). "Obama initially thought his health mandate had been overturned". The Hill. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
18. ^ "White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler: From outsider to protector of the presidency". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
19. ^ Savage, Charlie (6 April 2014). "Departing White House Counsel Held Powerful Sway". The New York Times.
20. ^ "Former White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler to Rejoin Latham & Watkins". Latham & Watkins LLP. 20 May 2014.
21. ^ Matt Apuzzo & Michael D. Shear (25 September 2014). "Attorney General Eric Holder, Prominent Liberal Voice in Obama Administration, Is Resigning". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
22. ^ Camia, Catalina (25 September 2014). "After Eric Holder: Potential attorney general choices". USA Today. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
23. ^ Berman, Russell (24 October 2014). "The President's Top Lawyer Doesn't Want to Be His Attorney General". The Atlantic. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
24. ^ "finra: Current Board Members".
25. ^ ^{a b} Lilah Ramzi (October 31, 2018). "Interior Firm Ashe Leandro Pays Homage to Design Greats With a New Line of Furniture". Vogue.
26. ^ Hadley Keller (November 2, 2018). "Ashe + Leandro Launches a Quietly Beautiful Furniture Collection". Architectural Digest.
27. ^ Florsheim, Lane (October 29, 2018). "The Interior Designers Behind Ashe Leandro Couldn't Find the Furniture They Wanted, So They Made Their Own Line". The Wall Street Journal.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Legal offices
Preceded by Bob Bauer	White House Counsel 2011–2014	Succeeded by Neil Eggleston