President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said that he would replace U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams with his former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton.
The move, which Trump announced in a Truth Social post, comes as Williams is overseeing several high-profile cases in the Southern District of New York — including the public corruption case against Mayor Adams and the sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“Jay is a highly respected business leader, counsel, and public servant. Jay received Engineering and Law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Economics degree from the University of Cambridge,” Trump wrote of the former SEC chair, considered one of his close allies and a frequent golf buddy.
“Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again.”
A spokesman for Williams’ office declined to comment.
It’s not the first time Trump has looked to Clayton for the position.
He tried to do so without success in 2020 after former Attorney General Bill Barr unceremoniously fired former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman after Berman refused to step down. At the time, Berman was investigating several allies of the president, including Rudy Giuliani.
Berman objected to the nomination because Clayton had never been an SDNY alum, like most former SDNY office chiefs, The News reported.
Berman’s deputy, Audrey Strauss, ultimately took over in an acting capacity until President Biden nominated Williams in 2021, making him the first Black American to lead the powerful prosecutor’s office.
This developing story will be updated.
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