Trump names – President Donald Trump said Saturday he will appoint James M. McDonald—one of his personal lawyers—to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, filling a pending vacancy after McDonald was previously chosen to run the office before being tapped to serve as
For President Donald Trump, the decision landed on a familiar line: put one of his own lawyers in the driver’s seat of one of Washington’s most powerful courtrooms.
Trump said Saturday that he will name James M. McDonald to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, filling a pending vacancy. McDonald had previously been tapped by Trump to direct national intelligence, creating the opening in Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor post.
The appointment matters far beyond the prestige. The SDNY role comes with oversight of prosecutions that can touch virtually every major federal priority—from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.
McDonald’s career spans both the government and the private bar. He is a partner at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. Before Trump’s first term. McDonald served as a financial regulator during Trump’s administration and worked in the White House counsel’s office in President George W. Bush’s administration. Earlier, he served as a federal prosecutor in the office he is now set to lead.
Trump’s selection also ties directly to the legal battles now moving through New York courts. McDonald is part of the legal team handling Trump’s pending appeal of felony convictions in New York tied to hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels as Trump ran for president in 2016.
In another sign of how connected McDonald’s work has been to high-profile cases. he was part of the legal team that last month secured a favorable outcome for Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. after the Trump administration’s Justice Department dropped a fraud and conspiracy case brought under the Biden administration.
During Trump’s first term, McDonald also served as director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and earlier he was deputy associate counsel in the White House under Bush.
Trump posted his confidence in the choice on Truth Social on Saturday, saying, “I am confident that Jamie will deliver strong results for our Country.”
In Manhattan, officials sounded ready to welcome the incoming prosecutor. Nicholas Biase, a 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.”
The appointment will also mean replacing Jay Clayton, whom Trump put forward this week as his pick for director of national intelligence.
Trump’s SDNY announcement came as political pressure mounted in Congress over who should permanently step into Tulsi Gabbard’s role as national intelligence director. Gabbard announced her resignation as national intelligence director last month. leaving the job open and drawing calls from lawmakers for a permanent replacement.
The president also faced backlash over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director.
With McDonald set to move into Manhattan’s top prosecutor position, Trump is effectively reshaping two high-stakes government lanes at once: the Justice Department’s most consequential prosecution office and the intelligence leadership vacancy that has become a fresh battleground on Capitol Hill.
Donald Trump James M. McDonald Southern District of New York SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Bill Pulte Truth Social hush money appeal Stormy Daniels Gautam Adani Sullivan & Cromwell
So he’s just putting his buddy in charge, shocker.
Wait, SDNY is in Manhattan right? If the guy was “personal lawyer” then does that mean he can decide on the Stormy Daniels case or like, help Trump win it? Seems like a conflict no matter how you slice it.
I don’t get it, they say he was tapped to direct national intelligence too so is this about spying or prosecutions? Also the article keeps saying “filling a pending vacancy” like the vacancy was for Trump specifically. And Adani?? why is that even in here, doesn’t that mean he’s already bought and paid for.
This is basically legal maneuvering. Like, they pick a lawyer who already worked with Trump’s people and then act surprised when it affects the hush money appeal. SDNY “touches” everything—so of course it’s about terrorism fraud public corruption blah blah, but really it’s about what happens to Trump in NY. I’m sure it’s totally impartial though, right?