Trump Appoints Former SEC Chair Clayton as U.S. Attorney for Manhattan

United States President Donald Trump is nominating Jay Clayton, the former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as the new United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

According to a recent report, Trump noted that Clayton is a highly respected business leader, counsel, and public servant who received Engineering and Law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and an Economics degree from the University of Cambridge.

Clayton has been praised for his efforts to promote transparency in financial markets. Still, his tenure at the SEC was also marked by controversies regarding his perceived leniency toward Wall Street firms, particularly in handling enforcement actions against large financial institutions.

Trump further noted that before the current appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Clayton was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and served on the Management Committee.

Clayton is currently a Senior Policy Advisor to Sullivan & Cromwell, a Board Member of several public and private companies, and an Adjunct Professor at the Wharton Business School and the Carey Law School at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again,” Trump said. 

U.S. Attorney’s Office Overseeing High-Profile Cases

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is responsible for overseeing numerous prominent cases, such as financial fraud, organized criminal activity, and public corruption. It also holds authority over the financial institutions based on Wall Street in New York.

The Southern District of New York is also often considered one of the country’s most powerful and prestigious U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

Over the years, the office has led multiple notable financial fraud prosecutions, including FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Archegos Capital Management founder Bill Huang, both of whom were found guilty.

In 2020, Trump selected Clayton as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York while the office was probing several of his associates, including advisor Steve Bannon.

Meanwhile, if confirmed, Clayton will likely be expected to implement Trump’s policies in New York, such as addressing illegal immigration and tackling crime reduction.