The nomination of former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chief Jay Clayton as the new Director of National Intelligence has sparked discussions on the 59-year-old’s alleged links with Jeffrey Epstein.
Donald Trump announced his decision to nominate Clayton to the position vacated by Tulsi Gabbard via a Truth Social post on Thursday, June 11. Soon after, discussions around Clayton’s links to Epstein associate Leon Black, his role in the review and redaction of the 3 million pages of Epstein files as the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his lead role in the investigation into Democrats’ links to Epstein.
“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump’s post read. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
But social media erupted soon after, alleging links between Jay Clayton and Epstein.
Also read: Trump launches ‘massive leak hunt’ after report claims aides held Epstein strategy meeting without him
Alleged Links Between Jay Clayton And Epstein
The alleged links between Jeffrey Epstein and Jay Clayton are being drawn from Clayton’s former role in the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. The founder of Apollo Global Management was Leon Black, a known Epstein associate.
Leon Black has had established links with Epstein. Back in 2021, a board investigation by Apollo Global Management had found that black had paid around $170 million in fees to Epstein for tax and estate planning. It led to Black resigning from the company as CEO and a board member in 2021.
As he exited, Jay Clayton was inducted into the board as part of the shake-up that followed. Other than that, there is no known connection between the two.
However, Jay Clayton’s name appears in the 3 million pages of Epstein files released by the DOJ at least 98 times, Ht.com has found. The most prominent mention comes in an email from Chris Dilorio (EFTA00091093), who discusses alleged corruption by Clayton at the SEC.
Also read: Why did JD Vance reportedly want Tucker Carlson to interview Ghislaine Maxwell? Epstein files controversy explained
Jay Clayton’s Role In Epstein Files
Jay Clayton supervised two important tasks related to the Epstein files probe, review, redaction, and release. In the first few months after taking charge in 2024, Trump directed the DOJ, then under Pam Bondi, to probe Epstein’s links with prominent Democrats. Bondi had tasked Clayton to do the job as the US Attorney for the SDNY.
Later, when 3 million Epstein files were released, Clayton led a team of 125 attorneys from his office in Manhattan to do the task. However, it created controversy, and the files erroneously exposed many of the victims. Besides, many of the redactions could easily be decoded using online tools.
