Fallout of Epstein files: People who resigned or were fired after DOJ’s release – Nationwide
The fallout after the release of millions of documents in late January — related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — continues as job losses, firings and resignations among high-powered business executives, politicians, lawyers, elite academics and public figures mount.
As the files are dissected and analyzed, high-profile figures across Europe, North America and the Middle East have seen results in their various relationships with late patron Epstein.
Find below some people who have lost their roles or jobs.
Top lawyer to leave Goldman Sachs
A top lawyer at global banking firm Goldman Sachs has announced he will step down from his role after appearing in the Epstein files.
Kathy Ruemmler confirmed Thursday that she will leave Goldman Sachs in June after the emails exposed her relationship with Epstein.
Speaking to the Financial Times on Thursday, Ruemmler said, “I have decided that my attention from the media, related to my previous work as a representative lawyer, has become a distraction.
He first said that he will not resign from the role he has held since 2020, and a spokesperson for Goldman Sachs previously insisted that Ruemmler “regrets knowing him,” reported The Guardian.
Kathy Ruemmler, Former White House Counsel, appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, DC, Sunday, June 29, 2014.
William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Reummler, who served as White House counsel under former president Barack Obama, had multiple contacts with Epstein between 2014 and 2019 after he was convicted of child sex trafficking, documents show.
Communications include advising Epstein on how to respond to media requests for comment on allegations of special legal treatment he received because of his status and connections.
It also indicates that he received gifts from Epstein, whom he often referred to as “Uncle Jeffrey.”
Waterloo professor ‘pauses’ work over Epstein claims
Canadians have also been affected by past connections with Epstein.
Lee Smolin, a respected physicist and founding member of the University of Waterloo’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, a world-renowned private research institute known for its work in quantum theory, has “agreed to terminate his working relationship” with the university, the institute confirmed to Global News in a statement.
His name appears 182 times in the most recent section of Epstein’s writings.
Although the filings do not indicate any criminal wrongdoing, the documents reveal a relationship between Smolin and Epstein, which continued after the former financier was convicted of sex trafficking in 2008.
The files show communications between the two discussing the 2008 financial crisis, and several text messages directed at Epstein reminding him to “call Lee Smolin.”
Smolin previously told The Verge that he had not been in contact with Epstein since 2008 and last saw him at a conference in 2007.
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
The email communication seems to conflict with Smolin’s timeline.
In one email dated 2 Nov. 2010, titled “Hello from Toronto,” Smolin appeared to send a message that simply read “Dear Jeffrey.” Epstein, in the same thread, replied, “You’re always welcome in ny.”
In a 2009 email to Epstein, who had just been released from prison at the time, Smolin wrote to him, “I hear you’re out and living over there at home. Hope all is well, would love to see you and catch up sometime.”
Epstein wrote back, offering to fly Smolin and his family to Florida.
“That’s a very good invitation, thank you, let me talk to you.” [his wife’s name] about when it will happen,” he replied.
Their last exchange appears to have been in 2013, according to files released by the US Department of Justice.
The Dubai Sultan, the port’s chief executive, took over
Dubai’s Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the head of DP World – one of the world’s leading port companies – was replaced on Friday after documents revealed dirty trades between him and Epstein.
Without mentioning bin Sulayem by name, the Government of Dubai Media Office announced the appointment of Abdullah bin Damithan as Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation in his place.
A well-known Emirati businessman, bin Sulayem regularly appears with the ruler of Dubai and has been photographed with President Donald Trump.
FILE – Former Nakheel CEO Chris O’Donnell, Donald Trump, and His Highness Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem arrive at The Trump International Hotel & Tower Dubai on August 23, 2008, in Los Angeles, California.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Bin Sulayem’s name appears 344 times in the Justice Department’s Epstein library, mostly in email exchanges between him and Epstein.
“The hands look like mine,” Epstein wrote back.
The emails include the men discussing dinner and travel plans, as well as invitations from bin Sulayem to Epstein to various high-profile events.
The former Prime Minister of Norway has been charged, others are still under investigation
Former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been charged with “gross corruption” over his relationship with Epstein, police said.
On Wednesday, police searched the home of Jagland, who has served as foreign minister, leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and head of the Council of Europe, the continent’s highest human rights body.
He was questioned this week, the police said, on suspicion of gross corruption. Jagland said he was looking forward to helping to clarify the situation.
Police this week also questioned Mona Juul, a politician who helped set up a back channel between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization that led to the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, about her connections to Epstein.
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland, left, walks with his lawyer Anders Brosveet as the Norwegian Economic Crime Investigation Service searches his house in Oslo, Norway, Thursday Feb. 12, 2026.
Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB Scanpix via AP
Juul, accused of rampant corruption, said he did not commit a crime.
The World Economic Forum has also launched an independent investigation into its Norwegian CEO, Børge Brende, to clarify his relationship with a convicted sex offender.
In addition, Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologized for her friendship with Epstein.
Peter Mandelson has been expelled, resigned from the House of Lords, UK Labor Party
His UK counterpart Peter Mandelson resigned from the Labor Party and the House of Lords earlier this month over his relationship with Epstein.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also fired him as Britain’s ambassador to the US last year after communications between Mandelson and Epstein were made public in the earlier release of the Epstein files.
Mandelson said in an interview with British journalist Harry Cole last year that he “deeply regrets” his friendship with Epstein, after a letter he wrote to the convicted sex offender was released by the US House Oversight Committee in a “birthday letter” given to the former New York City businessman on his 50th birthday.
In the letter, Mandelson called Epstein his “best friend.”
Part of a note from Lord Peter Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday.
US Oversight Committee
Starmer initially expressed his support for Mandelson after the memo was released, saying his government has full confidence in Mandelson and that he is “focused on our relationship with the US, with President Trump making an unprecedented second visit next week.”
Mandelson told Cole that he had “accepted assurances that [Epstein] he had given me about his indictment, his first criminal case in Florida. Like most people, I took that for granted,” a decision he said he wishes he had never made.
Starmer’s chief of staff also resigned this month amid controversy over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Morgan McSweeney said he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, 72, to Britain’s most important post in 2024.
The list keeps growing
Other prominent figures facing growing anger over their relationship with Epstein include Brad Karp, who announced his resignation as chairman of law firm Paul Weiss in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday amid allegations of collusion with Epstein, and Toronto-born CBS News contributor and protein scientist David Protein, Dr. documents.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is also facing calls to resign after emails surfaced showing he planned to visit Epstein’s island with his family in 2012.
Steve Tisch, the owner of the New York Giants, was found to have exchanged emails with Epstein in 2013 that included discussions about the “working girl” situation, prompting a National Football League review, ESPN reported.
Last week, pop star Chappell Roan announced he was severing ties with his talent agency, Wasserman, after emails revealed exchanges between its CEO, Casey Wasserman, Epstein and Maxwell. Several Los Angeles officials have also called for Wasserman to step down as chairman of the LA28 Olympics committee, The Guardian reported.
Late last year, several charities cut ties with Sarah Ferguson, ex-wife of former Prince Andrew, after British newspapers published an email she reportedly wrote to convicted rapist and financier Jeffrey Epstein, describing him as a “high friend.”
–
– Via files from Reuters and the Associated Press
