Former SEC chief gets surprise nomination for powerful NY prosecutor position
Trump picks Jay Clayton to lead Manhattanʼs federal prosecutor office despite his non-traditional background. The nomination comes as the office handles several high-stakes cases including crypto-fraud and political corruption
In a non-traditional pick Donald Trump nominated Jay Clayton as Manhattanʼs top federal prosecutor yesterday. Clayton who previously ran the SEC doesnt have typical criminal law experience for this role
The Southern District of NY (known for its semi-independent status) handles major white-collar cases. Current prosecutor Damian Williams has dealt with several big-name cases: securing wins against crypto-boss Sam Bankman-Fried and fund manager Bill Hwang; the office also charged Eric Adams and convicted Senator Bob Menendez for bribery-related issues
- Cryptocurrency enforcement
- High-profile financial crimes
- Political corruption cases
- White-collar prosecutions
This appointment brings back memories from bout 4 years ago when Clayton was briefly picked to replace Geoffrey Berman — who got fired after refusing to step down. The office (which works closely with SEC) had been looking into Rudy Giulianiʼs Ukraine dealings at that time; that probe ended with no charges round 2 years ago
Claytonʼs time at SEC focused on crypto-company enforcement including a big case against Ripple (accused of raising $1.3 billion illegally). Steven Peikin former SEC enforcement co-director said: “Its exciting and good for the office; this is something that hes wanted for a long time“
