Trump to replace Jamaican-American Damian Williams as US Attorney in New York

President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to replace Damian Williams, the Jamaican-American US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Williams will be succeeded by former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman, Jay Clayton.

Williams has recently made headlines for his involvement in several high-profile cases, including the arrests of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, rapper and businessman Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

Williams also oversaw the upcoming sex-trafficking trial of Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime companion, and led the investigation into former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's involvement in Ukraine prior to the 2020 presidential election.

His potential removal raises questions about the continuation of the cases involving Mayor Adams and Combs under the new US Attorney.

As the first Black US Attorney for the Southern District of New York in its 200-year history, Williams's appointment in 2021 was a historic moment.

Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox

Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

A second-generation Jamaican-American, Williams was born in Brooklyn to Jamaican parents, who met in the United States during the 1970s while his father studied medicine at Howard University and his mother studied nursing.

Raised in Atlanta, Williams excelled academically, eventually attending Harvard University where he majored in economics, and the University of Cambridge, where he earned a master's degree in international relations.

Appointed by President Joe Biden in 2020, Williams was confirmed by the Senate the following year, championed by New York's senior US Senator Charles Schumer.

His leadership has guided the office's efforts in handling some of the nation's most complex fraud, terrorism, and corruption cases – often involving figures close to former President Trump.

Many who have worked with Williams describe him as uniquely suited to the role. Theodore Wells Jr., a prominent lawyer, was quoted as saying, "Beyond his extraordinary qualifications, Damian is the right person at this time in history to be the US Attorney for Manhattan."

Wells added that Williams's position is symbolically significant for both Black and White communities, especially given the recent social unrest in the United States.

Of the 232 assistant US attorneys and executives in the Southern District, only seven are African-American, highlighting Williams's achievement.

Previously, Williams served nearly a decade as a Southern District prosecutor. A Yale Law School graduate, he clerked for both Merrick B. Garland, now US Attorney General, and Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

- Lester Hinds