Manhattan prosecutors had been bracing for the worst when their top job suddenly came open — but the man President Donald Trump ultimately chose left many of them quietly relieved. According to four current and former prosecutors, the selection of James McDonald to lead the Southern District of New York eased fears that had been mounting for days inside one of the country’s most prestigious legal offices.

A Sudden Vacancy Rattles the Office

The turmoil began last week when the Southern District of New York (SDNY) unexpectedly lost its leader. Trump tapped sitting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to become his next director of national intelligence, leaving the powerful prosecutorial office without a chief.

The office, long known for guarding its independence, was immediately on edge. Attorneys worried their next boss might be:

• Openly political and beholden to the White House
• Lacking the experience to run such a high-profile operation
• Or, in the worst case, both

Those anxieties softened considerably once McDonald’s name surfaced.

Who Is James McDonald?

Known to colleagues as “Jamie,” McDonald is no stranger to the office he’s now poised to lead. He clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts before joining the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office in 2014.

His rise was swift. Within just a year, he landed a key spot on the team prosecuting Sheldon Silver, the once-dominant speaker of the New York state Assembly — one of the office’s most closely watched corruption cases.

Carrie Cohen, who led that prosecution, spoke glowingly of McDonald’s character. She described his integrity as beyond reproach and said she fully believed he would serve as an ideal steward of the office.

A Career Spanning Government and Private Practice

McDonald’s résumé bridges both public service and the elite private bar. During Trump’s first term, he served as enforcement director at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), where he frequently partnered with SDNY on cases.

Since 2021, he has worked as a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, the prestigious white-shoe firm known for its connections to the Trump administration.

Cohen noted that the respect runs both ways. McDonald, she said, holds the office in high regard — a sentiment shaped by his years as a prosecutor there, his collaboration with the office while at the CFTC, and more recently his perspective as a defense attorney.

Taking the Helm Amid Lingering Tensions

If confirmed, McDonald would inherit an office still recovering from more than a year of friction with Justice Department leadership.

The strain became public shortly after Trump returned to power. Department officials directed Manhattan prosecutors to abandon their criminal case against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a decision that prompted a string of resignations, including that of the interim U.S. attorney.

The disruptions continued. Last summer, the administration abruptly dismissed Maurene Comey, a standout assistant U.S. attorney and the daughter of former FBI Director and Trump adversary James Comey.

Then, in November, Trump instructed then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ties between Jeffrey Epstein and prominent Democrats — a directive widely viewed as politically motivated and one that unsettled an office that prides itself on keeping Washington at arm’s length.

The Loyalty Question

Not everyone is convinced McDonald is the independent figure his supporters describe. In recent months, he has personally represented Trump, including handling the president’s appeal of his criminal conviction.

That relationship has drawn scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers. Senator Elizabeth Warren went so far as to label McDonald a “Trump loyalist.”

Inside SDNY, however, the view is more measured. Three people familiar with the matter said McDonald’s work for Trump amounted to the kind of routine representation any white-collar client might receive. They drew a sharp distinction between his conduct and that of some of Trump’s more combative attorneys — lawyers who have openly attacked the justice system and resorted to personal jabs.

Cautious Praise From Familiar Faces

Even McDonald’s admirers tempered their endorsements, reflecting how deeply the second Trump term has shaken confidence in long-trusted institutions.

Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney who originally hired McDonald at SDNY, was effusive in his praise on a recent podcast episode. He described McDonald as exceptionally sharp, highly credentialed, and among the best in the profession, adding that he liked him a great deal.

Yet Bharara also voiced a note of caution. He admitted that some lawyers he once respected had disappointed him in unexpected ways in recent years — a reminder that reputations forged in calmer times don’t always hold up under pressure.

A Practiced Diplomat

McDonald has already shown he knows how to navigate the administration’s more uncomfortable moments. Last December, he interviewed Clayton at an event hosted by the New York City Bar Association.

When an audience member pressed Clayton about Trump’s pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández — who had been convicted in Manhattan on drug trafficking charges — McDonald stepped in. Acknowledging that Clayton couldn’t comment on specific cases, he gently reframed the question, steering the conversation away from the controversial pardon and toward SDNY’s recent accomplishments instead.

What Comes Next

The timeline for the transition remains uncertain. On Wednesday, Trump postponed Clayton’s scheduled confirmation hearing, insisting the Senate confirm McDonald before advancing the permanent DNI nomination.

For now, Manhattan prosecutors appear cautiously optimistic. After weeks of dreading an outsider with political baggage, they’ve instead been handed a leader who came up through their own ranks — someone who understands the office’s culture and, by most accounts, respects its hard-won independence.

Whether that goodwill survives the realities of serving under an administration that has repeatedly tested Justice Department norms remains the open question hanging over McDonald’s tenure.