Trump to name James McDonald as New York prosecutor; will head SDNY handling cases of Maduro and Rocha Moya

President Donald Trump has announced his intention to appoint James McDonald as the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. This appointment follows the departure of Jay Clayton, who is moving to become the Director of National Intelligence. Trump shared the news on his Truth Social platform, highlighting McDonald's prior experience as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the SDNY and his tenure as director of compliance at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission during Trump's first term. The president also noted McDonald's current role as a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, his clerkship with Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and his distinguished academic background from the University of Virginia School of Law and Harvard. Trump expressed confidence in McDonald's ability to excel, citing his respect among law enforcement, the legal community, and the judiciary. The Southern District of New York is known for prosecuting significant cases, including those against Venezuelan politician Nicolás Maduro for drug trafficking and against Mexican governor Rubén Rocha Moya. The SDNY is also involved in other major cases, such as the prosecution of rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs and the ongoing federal trial of Luigi Mangione, accused of murder.

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I am convinced that Jamie will achieve excellent results for our country, as he has the respect of our patriots in law enforcement, the legal community, and the judiciary, and he will collaborate fantastically with them.