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.<\/p>\n
Trump picks Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence after uproar over Pulte<\/a><\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Jefferson Siegel\/POOL\/AFP via Getty Images – PHOTO: US-JUSTICE-FEDERAL-COURT-SDNY<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The office is prosecuting a former special forces soldier<\/a> and Google employee<\/a> for using inside information to make thousands on Polymarket.<\/p>\n “The Office welcomes the President’s choice to lead the SDNY. Mr. McDonald is widely\u00a0respected,” a SDNY spokesperson said in a statement.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Trump formally nominates Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general<\/a><\/p>\n A partner at the top white shoe law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald was part of the legal team hired<\/a> to represent Trump\u00a0as he appealed <\/a>his criminal\u00a0hush money conviction<\/a>\u00a0in New York, which is still pending.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n![\"Jefferson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9295d33d774709ecc0d8b43981f40031.jpeg\"\/)
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