特朗普政府备受争议的纽约南区联邦检察官人选杰伊·克莱顿(Jay Clayton)周四下午在国会山作证，预计他将被提名为联邦地方法院法官，但他继续面临民主党的严厉批评。
美国证券交易委员会(SEC)现任主席克莱顿(Clayton)在一场名为《资本市场与19世纪危机时代的紧急贷款》(Capital Markets and Emergency Lending in COVID-19纪元)的听证会上开始作证时，谈到了自己的潜在提名，他宣称自己“完全致力于”将注意力放在自己目前在美国证券交易委员会(SEC)的角色上。
克莱顿作证说:“我长期以来一直非常尊重南区的工作，该区因执法、追求正义、无所畏惧、无所偏袒而得到全国和国际社会的认可。”。“我个人深深的敬意很大程度上是多年来与南区及其杰出校友(包括证券交易委员会的高级人员)合作的结果。我认识到提名过程是多方面和不确定的。很明显，这个过程不需要我目前的关注。”
尽管听证会的焦点是流感大流行的影响，但众议院金融服务委员会民主党人就他的预期提名对他进行了质询。
投资者保护、企业家精神和资本市场小组委员会主席、众议员布拉德·谢尔曼(Brad Sherman)表示，希望克莱顿不会接受提名，并质疑他对这份工作感兴趣的动机。
“我希望你六个月后还会在这里，”加州的谢尔曼说，并敦促克莱顿放弃对这个职位的考虑。“把你的名字留在那里只会削弱你在证交会的影响力，不会让你减少通勤。”
众议院金融服务委员会主席、众议员玛克辛·沃特斯(Maxine Waters)告诉克莱顿，她“深感担忧”的是，他即将获得的提名可能导致唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统和司法部长威廉·巴尔(William Barr)“干扰你独立、有效监督”美国证交会的能力。
沃特斯要求克莱顿回避“证券交易委员会面前的任何和所有直接或间接“涉及总统”的问题，这些问题可能会造成一种假象，即你实际上是在帮特朗普总统的忙，以获得一个“特朗普和巴尔已经高度政治化”的职位
克莱顿回答说:“我将继续做我在证交会一直做的事情，那就是独立地处理所有事情，并就任何看起来不独立的问题咨询道德。”。
民主党人还要求克莱顿回避任何与总统及其助手有关的事务，不仅是因为他目前担任美国证券交易委员会主席，还因为他作为美国律师的潜在角色。
克莱顿强调说，他努力保持独立性，他认为潜在的回避是“一个不断前进的过程”，同时保证“遵守所有的道德准则”
特朗普尚未正式提名克莱顿担任此职，这需要参议院的批准。纽约的两位参议员查尔斯·舒默和柯尔斯顿·吉利布兰德誓言反对克莱顿，克莱顿在2017年5月2日的两党投票中以61比37被确认为美国证券交易委员会主席。
杰伊·克莱顿可以让自己被无耻的特朗普-巴尔计划利用来干涉美国SDNY检察官的调查，或者他可以勇敢地面对这种腐败，从考虑中收回自己的名字，并把自己的声誉从一夜之间的毁灭中拯救出来。pic.twitter.com/6h5D9jOaj7
——查克·舒默(@SenSchumer)2020年6月20日
巴尔在上周五晚些时候的新闻发布会上宣布，担任纽约南区美国检察官的杰弗里·伯曼(Geoffrey Berman)将辞去该职位，为克莱顿创造空间，但伯曼很快发表声明，拒绝自愿辞职，这与司法部长的说法直接矛盾。
2020年6月20日星期六，纽约南区的美国律师杰弗里·s·伯曼抵达他在纽约的办公室。
2020年6月20日星期六，纽约南区的美国律师杰弗里·s·伯曼抵达他在纽约的办公室。凯文·哈根/美联社照片
巴尔随后在周六发表声明，宣布鉴于他的抵制，他要求特朗普立即解雇伯曼，并抱怨伯曼选择了制造“公共奇观而非公共服务”
周六晚些时候，在特朗普试图与解雇保持距离后，伯曼同意“立即”离职。伯曼还指出，巴尔决定“尊重法律的正常运作，让美国代理律师奥黛丽·斯特劳斯(Audrey Strauss)成为代理美国律师”，而不是巴尔一手提拔的继任者克雷格·卡皮尼托(Craig Carpenito)。
巴尔面临着民主党要求他辞职和弹劾的威胁。预计他将于7月28日在众议院司法委员会作证。
2020年6月15日，美国司法部长比尔·巴尔在华盛顿白宫内阁厅与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普举行的老年人圆桌会议上发言。
2020年6月15日，美国司法部长比尔·巴尔在华盛顿白宫内阁厅与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普举行的老年人圆桌会议上发言。索尔·勒布/法新社
在伯曼的领导下，该办公室起诉了总统的前私人律师迈克尔·科恩，并对总统的朋友杰弗里·爱泼斯坦提出了性交易指控，他在不到两个月后在联邦监狱自杀。
据消息人士称，特朗普目前的私人律师鲁迪·朱利安尼(Rudy Giuliani)仍在接受曼哈顿办公室的调查，因其与乌克兰的财务关系而面临审查。
白宫新闻秘书凯雷·麦克纳尼否认伯曼因调查特朗普的同伙而被解雇，他告诉记者，克莱顿“想回纽约市”，特朗普“想提名他在SDNY担任这个职位，以便在他返回纽约后继续留在政府中”。
纽约州众议员卡罗琳·马洛尼(Carolyn Maloney)称驱逐伯曼是“一桩丑闻”和“公然滥用权力”，她认为这“极其令人不安”
克莱顿拒绝与马宏升讨论提名的许多细节，但透露他在本月早些时候首次与特朗普和巴尔表达了对该职位的兴趣。
“我需要回纽约，”克莱顿作证说。“这是我已经谈论了一段时间的事情，咨询人们这是否对我继续从事公共服务有意义。”
Dems urge Trump's new pick for SDNY to withdraw from consideration
Jay Clayton, the Trump administration's controversial pick to become U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, testified on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon, as his anticipated nomination to the federal district court continued to face stiff criticism from Democrats.
Clayton, the current chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, addressed his potential nomination as he began his testimony at a hearing entitled Capital Markets and Emergency Lending in the COVID-19 Era, proclaiming he is "fully committed" to directing his attention to his ongoing role at the SEC.
"I have a long-held deep respect for the work of the Southern District, which is recognized throughout our nation and internationally for enforcing the law, pursuing justice, without fear or favor," Clayton testified. "My deep personal respect is largely a result of many years working with the Southern District, and its distinguished alumni, including the senior personnel with the SEC. I recognize that the nomination process is multifaceted and uncertain. It's clear the process does not require my current attention."
Despite the stated focus of the hearing on the impact of the pandemic, House Financial Services Committee Democrats grilled him on his expected nomination.
Rep. Brad Sherman, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets, expressed hope that Clayton would not accept the nomination and questioned his motives for having interest in the job.
"I hope you're here six months from now," Sherman, D-Calif., said, urging Clayton to withdraw from consideration for the post. "Keeping your name there simply weakens your gravitas with regard to the SEC and doesn't allow you to reduce your commute."
Rep. Maxine Waters, the chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, told Clayton she is "deeply concerned" that his pending nomination could lead President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr "to interfere with your ability to independently and effectively oversee" the SEC.
Waters asked Clayton to recuse himself from "any and all matters before the SEC that directly or indirectly" involve the president "that may create the appearance that you're actually serving as a special favor to President Trump in order to obtain a position" that Trump and Barr "have highly politicized."
"I'm going to continue to do what I've always done at the SEC, which is to pursue all matters with independence and consult with ethics on any issues that would give the appearance of not having independence," Clayton answered.
Democrats also pressed Clayton to recuse himself from any matters involving the president and his associates not only in his current role as SEC chairman but also in his potential role as a U.S. attorney.
Clayton stressed that he strives to maintain independence, contending that potential recusal is "a process that’s way down the road" while pledging to "follow all ethical rules."
Trump has not yet formally nominated Clayton to the post, which requires Senate confirmation. Both of New York's senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have vowed to oppose Clayton, who was confirmed as SEC chairman in a bipartisan 61-37 vote on May 2, 2017.
Jay Clayton can allow himself to be used in the brazen Trump-Barr scheme to interfere in investigations by the U.S. Attorney for SDNY, or he can stand up to this corruption, withdraw his name from consideration, and save his own reputation from overnight ruin.pic.twitter.com/6h5D9jOaj7
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer)June 20, 2020
Barr announced in a news release late last Friday night that Geoffrey Berman, who served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, would resign from the position to create room for Clayton, but Berman soon issued a statement refusing to step down voluntarily, directly contradicting the attorney general.
Barr then released a statement Saturday announcing he asked Trump to fire Berman -- effective immediately -- in light of his resistance, complaining Berman chose to create a "public spectacle over public service."
Later Saturday, Berman agreed to vacate his post "effective immediately" after Trump sought to distance himself from the firing. Berman also noted that Barr decided to "respect the normal operation of law and have Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss become Acting U.S. Attorney," instead of Barr’s hand-picked replacement, Craig Carpenito.
Barr is facing calls for his resignation and threats of impeachment from Democrats. He's expected to testify at the House Judiciary Committee on July 28.
Under Berman's leadership, the office prosecuted the president's former personal attorney Michael Cohen and filed sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein, a friend of the president who killed himself in federal jail less than two months later.
Trump's current personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, continues to be investigated by the Manhattan office -- facing scrutiny for his financial ties to Ukraine, according to sources.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied Berman was fired for investigating Trump's associates, telling reporters that Clayton "wanted to go back to New York City" and Trump "wanted to nominate him to this position in SDNY to keep him in the government as he returns to New York.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, called the Berman ouster "a scandal" and "blatant abuse of power" that she finds "extremely troubling."
Clayton declined to discuss many details of his nomination with Maloney but revealed that he first expressed interest in the position with Trump and Barr earlier this month.
"I need to go back to New York," Clayton testified. "This is something I've been talking about for a while, consulting with people as to whether this would make sense for me to continue with public service."
