President Trump on Wednesday found a way around an effort by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who tried to block one of his nominees for a federal prosecutor role in New York.
Trump announced his appointment of Jay Clayton as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which would circumvent the Senate confirmation process that Schumer intended to block.
“I am pleased to announce that Jay Clayton will serve as the Interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. During my First Term, Jay served with great distinction as the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and earned the respect of everyone," Trump said.
“I announced my intent to nominate Jay for the Southern District of New York on November 14, 2024, and his Nomination received wide, Bipartisan support," he continued. "Now, after five months and, even though Jay was previously confirmed by the Senate on a Bipartisan basis, and has complied with ALL requests of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Schumer has announced that he is blocking all New York U.S. Attorney Nominees.
“The Southern District leads the Department of Justice’s oversight over our Financial Markets, and fights for the safety of Millions of New Yorkers and the over 60 Million people who visit New York annually," Trump added. "The Southern District needs strong leadership NOW, and I thank Jay for taking on this role while we continue to pursue his Senate confirmation."
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Schumer had said earlier on Wednesday that he intended to stop both Clayton and Joseph Nocella Jr., a Long Island judge chosen for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, using the “blue slip” tradition where home-state senators can effectively block a nominee if they don’t support them. The Republican majority Senate Judiciary Committee, however, does have the power to disregard Schumer and proceed with the nominees anyway.
“Donald Trump has made clear he has no fidelity to the law and intends to use the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney offices and law enforcement as weapons to go after his perceived enemies,” Schumer stated. “Such blatant and depraved political motivations are deeply corrosive to the rule of law and leaves me deeply skeptical of the Donald Trump’s intentions for these important positions. For that reason, I will not return the blue slip for the U.S. Attorney nominees for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.”
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