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President Donald Trump selected Jay Clayton on Thursday to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Clayton was formerly the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman during Trump’s first term.
“I am pleased to announce that Jay Clayton, of New York, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during my first term, where he did an incredible job, is hereby nominated to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“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,” he continued.
“Before chairing the SEC, Jay was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, and served on the Management Committee. He 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 concluded.
Clayton may be considered an unusual choice for an office renowned for handling high-profile financial crime cases, given that he lacks a background in criminal law.
In July 2020, during Trump’s first term, Clayton was nominated by the president to succeed Geoffrey Berman as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Berman had been dismissed after refusing to resign. At that time, Berman’s office was investigating Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former lawyer.
The nomination adds to a growing list of leadership announcements from Trump this week. He also announced former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence, along with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for U.S. Attorney General.
Late Wednesday, Trump also confirmed reports that he is nominating Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio as the Secretary of State. Trump’s appointments began last week when he first announced Susan Wiles as his White House Chief of Staff, making her the first female to hold the position.