Trump names James M. McDonald to lead powerful New York federal prosecutor’s office

An American flag flies outside the Department of Justice in Washington, March 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

2026-06-13T19:57:55Z

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced his intent Saturday to nominate James M. McDonald as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York to replace Jay Clayton, who Trump nominated this week for the role of director of national intelligence.

McDonald, who is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, is currently a litigation partner at the Sullivan & Cromwell law firm and was a one-time personal attorney to Trump after he was brought on to handle the appeal of Trump’s Manhattan hush money conviction, which is still pending

At the time, Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts for concealing a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

If confirmed to the role as U.S. attorney in Manhattan, McDonald would oversee the most prestigious of the Justice Department’s prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.

McDonald was part of the legal team that last month secured a favorable outcome for Indian billionaire Gautam Adani when the Trump administration Justice Department dropped a fraud and conspiracy case that had been brought under the Biden administration.

McDonald has also served as director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission during Trump’s first term in office and was also deputy associate counsel in the White House under George W. Bush.

Read More

“I am confident that Jamie will deliver strong results for our Country,” Trump posted Saturday about McDonald’s nomination on the Truth Social platform.

Nicholas Biase, spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, said it “welcomes the President’s choice to lead the SDNY. Mr. McDonald is widely respected.”

Clayton’s nomination came as pressure increased from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation as national intelligence director last month. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director.

FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto