Jamaican-American attorney announces resignation ahead of Trump administration
NEW YORK, United States (CMC) – The United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, says he intends to resign his position ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s being sworn into office on January 20, 2025.
Williams, the son of a Jamaican-born immigrant physician, who has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the district, said he intends to resign his position effective 11:59 pm on Friday, December 13, 2024.
In a statement, Williams described his impending departure as “bittersweet”, saying it is “bitter in the sense that I am leaving my dream job, leading an institution I love that is filled with the finest public servants in the world.
“It is sweet in that I am confident I am leaving at a time when the Office is functioning at an incredibly high level, upholding and exceeding its already high standard of excellence, integrity, and independence,” he said.
“That success is due to the career attorneys, staff members, and law enforcement agents of this Office. Working with them during my tenure has been a privilege of a lifetime,” Williams said, adding “they are worthy custodians of this Office’s tradition of doing the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons.
“They are patriots. They are my family. And I will miss them dearly, Williams said, thanking President Joe Biden for nominating him in 2021 and US Attorney General Merrick B Garland for leading the Department and supporting the Southern District of New York during his tenure.
“It has been an honour to serve the American people,” he said.
Trump has already announced that he will nominate Jay Clayton, a former corporate lawyer and the top Wall Street enforcer in the first Trump administration, as Williams’s successor.
Clayton has already pledged to pursue Trump’s quest in seeking revenge against those who prosecuted Trump in New York.
In announcing his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump described Clayton as “a highly respected business leader, counsel and public servant.”
The US Senate must confirm Clayton as the next US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The Southern District of New York is regarded as one of the most illustrious federal prosecutor’s offices in the United States.
