Trump replaces chief prosecutor handling cases against Türkiye 

The Federal Attorney General for the Southern District of New York, overseeing key investigations into cases against Türkiye, has been replaced.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Southern District of New York is known for handling critical cases such as the Reza Zarrab investigation launched in 2015, the case against former Halkbank deputy general manager Mehmet Hakan Atilla and the corruption probe of New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Trump, who won the U.S. presidential election, announced last week that he wants to replace the current attorney general, Damian Williams, with former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton.

Who is Jay Clayton?

Clayton, 58, was born in the state of Virginia and grew up in the state of Pennsylvania. After beginning his college education at Lafayette College, where he was a player on the football team, Clayton transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

Throughout his career, Clayton served as legal counsel to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Reserve and several Wall Street financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs.

Clayton, who currently serves as a senior political advisor at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, of which he is a partner, was appointed chairman of the SEC by Trump in May 2017 and held this position until December 2020.

Clayton’s areas of expertise have been corporate governance, financial regulation, economic policy, government relations and related investigations.

Although Clayton does not have any prosecution background, it is commented that he is one of the best names to fight against financial crimes committed in Manhattan with his experience in the financial sector, where he is an expert.

Impact on Türkiye-US relations

Clayton holds an experience from the first Trump administration.

Lawyer Cahit Akbulut, speaking to VOA Turkish, who has been closely following the cases against Türkiye and Turks filed by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Southern District of New York, said that Trump’s appointment of Clayton to replace Williams will not change the process regarding the ongoing cases.

Nevertheless, Akbulut highlighted that the Trump administration’s relations with Türkiye may affect the course of the investigations.