Jay Clayton seems to have a lot of interests tied to moves that Donald Trump is making on a global scale. Be it the sheer lack of investigations after the release of the Epstein Files or the moves that Trump has made in Venezuela, there seems to be a clear connection between what looks like shoddy geopolitics and the interests of those close to Donald Trump.
The Lever published a breakdown of Clayton’s profile, who is Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department’s Southern District of New York office, which included his financial portfolio.
SDNY’s Jay Clayton’s recent professional past runs straight through Epstein’s inner circle. Now he’s in charge of releasing the Epstein files and future investigations. That overlap raises a simple question: who investigates the powerful — and who investigates the investigator? pic.twitter.com/SI1OBU4tsP
— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) February 3, 2026
First in focus is the Venezuelan regime change. Clayton, like many of Trump’s close allies, holds a stake in multiple oil and gas companies. These are organizations that would benefit immensely from the recent U.S. regime change in Venezuela, from where Trump intends to import oil in bulk to lower gas and energy prices. Clayton is responsible for leading the investigation against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Next, Jay Clayton has more than a million dollars tied up with Apollo Global Management. He was the board chairman until he was appointed to the Justice Department. The Senate has never confirmed him. He will remain in the position until a Senate-confirmed candidate can take up the office.
Clayton was responsible for the redaction of the names of victims in the Epstein files, along with investigating institutions and individuals tied to the former financier. Names that Donald Trump has said ought to be in the list include President Bill Clinton, former Obama administration adviser Larry Summers, billionaire tech founder Reid Hoffman, and Wall Street bank JPMorgan Chase.
SDNY’s Jay Clayton’s recent professional past runs straight through Epstein’s inner circle. Now he’s in charge of releasing the Epstein files and future investigations. That overlap raises a simple question: who investigates the powerful — and who investigates the investigator? pic.twitter.com/SI1OBU4tsP
— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) February 3, 2026
To put things into perspective, Clayton has money tied to JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase, Apollo Global Management, and others that are currently being looked into by Congress have not been charged or accused by the Justice Department.
The federal ethics code suggests that, given that Clayton has a financial interest in these companies, as a prosecutor, he must recuse himself from the case. The Justice Department has made no such announcement or indication. Clayton was responsible for aiding Apollo Global Management when their former CEO, Leon Black, was connected with Epstein.
Jay Clayton was made Chairman of the Board in the wake of Leon Black’s exit from the company.
