President Trump is moving to install James M. McDonald as the next US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, a position that carries outsized influence over the future of crypto enforcement in the United States.
The appointment follows Trump’s nomination of current SDNY US Attorney Jay Clayton to serve as Director of National Intelligence on June 11, creating a vacancy at the helm of what’s widely considered the most consequential federal prosecutor’s office in the country. McDonald, a litigation partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and former Director of Enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, brings a resume that reads like a highlight reel of financial regulation’s greatest hits.
McDonald was one of several names floated for the role, with Sean Buckley and Nicolas Roos also reportedly in consideration.
McDonald’s crypto enforcement pedigree
Before joining Sullivan & Cromwell in 2021, McDonald ran the CFTC’s enforcement division. During his time at the CFTC, McDonald led high-profile enforcement actions connected to cryptocurrency.
