Biden Nominates Damian Williams as U.S. Attorney for Manhattan

Politics|Biden Nominates Damian Williams arsenic U.S. Attorney for Manhattan

WASHINGTON — President Biden nominated Damian Williams arsenic the U.S. lawyer for Manhattan connected Tuesday, naming the archetypal Black antheral to pb 1 of the astir almighty prosecutor’s offices successful the state arsenic portion of a slate of picks for apical instrumentality enforcement posts.

Mr. Williams would pb the Southern District of New York aft moving arsenic a authoritative successful the renowned bureau for astir a decade, astir precocious overseeing a portion that specializes successful securities fraud. The bureau has handled immoderate of the nation’s astir politically delicate cases, including respective inquiries of radical adjacent to erstwhile President Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Biden besides announced nominees to supervise 2 different offices that thin to analyse the Justice Department’s much salient cases, including Breon S. Peace, a erstwhile national prosecutor, arsenic the U.S. lawyer for Brooklyn and Jessica D. Aber arsenic the U.S. lawyer for the Eastern District of Virginia, wherever she has worked since 2009. All 3 nominations would person to beryllium confirmed by the Senate.

The timing of the appointments is important to Mr. Biden’s bid to curb weapon unit and prosecute weapon trafficking, according to a White House connection provided to The New York Times. The president pledged this summertime to marque national tools disposable to the authorities and section authorities to combat an uptick of convulsive transgression successful large cities.

“These individuals were chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their acquisition and credentials successful this field, their dedication to pursuing adjacent justness for all, and their committedness to the independency of the Department of Justice,” the White House connection said.

Mr. Biden besides tapped Carla B. Freedman, a authoritative successful the U.S. attorney’s bureau for the Northern District of New York, to pb the office, mounting her up to beryllium the archetypal Senate-confirmed pistillate to capable the position. The different nominations see William J. Ihlenfeld II arsenic the U.S. lawyer for the Northern District of West Virginia, Christopher R. Kavanaugh arsenic the U.S. lawyer for the Western District of Virginia, Darcie N. McElwee arsenic the U.S. lawyer for the District of Maine, and William S. Thompson arsenic the U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of West Virginia.