Trump taps former commodities regulator, ex-personal attorney as US attorney for Southern District of New York
New York City is set to have a new top federal prosecutor after President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that he plans to nominate former prosecutor and commodities regulator James McDonald to be the next United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The announcement on social media comes after Trump tapped the current U.S. Attorney for SDNY, Jay Clayton, to serve as the next director of national intelligence after his interim pick derailed the effort to renew a key surveillance law.
A seasoned litigator with law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald was one of the attorneys who represented Trump in his criminal appeal, helped convince the DOJ to drop a fraud case against an Indian billionaire earlier this year and has defended Live Nation against antitrust cases.
"I am confident that Jamie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as he has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, our Law Enforcement Patriots, the Legal Community, and the Judicial Bench," Trump said in a social media post.
McDonald previously served as the director of enforcement at the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission, making his nomination a potential sign that SDNY will continue its high-profile prosecutions of insider trading on prediction markets.
The office is prosecuting a former special forces soldier and Google employee for using inside information to make thousands on Polymarket.
"The Office welcomes the President's choice to lead the SDNY. Mr. McDonald is widely respected," a SDNY spokesperson said in a statement.
Unlike Clayton -- who came to the office with little experience in criminal law -- McDonald previously worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the same office, as well as a stint with the Office of White House Counsel during the Bush administration and clerking for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
A partner at the top white shoe law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald was part of the legal team hired to represent Trump as he appealed his criminal hush money conviction in New York, which is still pending.
McDonald was also part of the legal team that represented Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, who was indicted by the Justice Department in 2024 on conspiracy and fraud charges. In May, the Justice Department asked a judge to drop those charges.
Sources with knowledge of Trump's decision told ABC News that McDonald met with chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Friday ahead of Trump's weekend announcement.
If the Senate does not quickly act on his nomination, McDonald would require approval from the judges in the district, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester.
McDonald's nomination adds to the growing list of Trump's personal attorneys occupying top spots in the Justice Department, including the acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Solicitor General, D. John Sauer.
