Top New York federal prosecutor Damian Williams to resign next month

A federal prosecutor in New York on Monday, who has overseen the prosecutions of former New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, and Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, announced that he will resign his post next month.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, who is the first black man to hold the post, announced that he would resign just before midnight on Dec. 13. His deputy, Edward Kim, will replace him as acting U.S. attorney, until a new one is confirmed.

President-elect Donald Trump has already nominated his former Securities and Exchange Commission head Jay Clayton for the post, but Clayton will still need to be confirmed by the Senate early next year.

Williams, who has also been overseeing the prosecutions of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and rap artist Sean “Diddy” Combs, said the decision was "bittersweet," and that it was an "honor" to serve the country.

“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," Williams said, according to NBC News. "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."

Williams was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden in 2021.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.