Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Damian Williams has announced that he will resign in December, ahead of Diddy and Eric Adams‘ cases going to trial and before Donald Trump takes office and appoints his replacement.
On Monday (November 25), Damian Williams — the federal prosecutor who has overseen the cases involving the conviction of Senator Robert Menendez and Sam Bankman-Fried, and who has also brought charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, along with many other cases — announced that he would be resigning as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York effective 11:59 p.m. on December 13, 2024; thus making way for President-elect Donald Trump’s replacement.
Williams said that after his anticipated departure from office, his current deputy, Ed Kim, will be taking over the office as acting U.S. Attorney beginning December 14 until Trump’s inauguration and replacement takes position. Trump has already announced his plans to nominate former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton for the U.S. Attorney position in the Southern District of New York, one of the most high-profile positions in the country.
In his statement, Williams said, “Today is a bittersweet day for me, as I announce my resignation as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. 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.”
In 2021, Damian Williams was nominated to the highly-coveted position of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York by President Joe Biden, making him the first Black person to attain the role. As mentioned, Williams’ tenure has been marked by several high-profile prosecutions, including the indictments of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
RELATED: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Corruption Charges
Last month, Eric Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges, becoming the first sitting mayor of New York City to be criminally charged. On September 27, Adams surrendered to federal authorities and pleaded not guilty to a series of serious charges, including bribery and wire fraud, stemming from a federal corruption investigation.
Before Eric Adams’ indictment, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Damian Williams brought federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges against Diddy on September 17.
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