On Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump circumvented an effort by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to block one of his nominees for a key federal prosecutor role in New York.

Trump announced on Truth Social that he was appointing Jay Clayton to become interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, sidestepping the Senate confirmation process that Schumer sought to jam, at least for now.

“I am pleased to announce that Jay Clayton will serve as the Interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. During my First Term, Jay served with great distinction as the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and earned the respect of everyone,” Trump said.

Trump noted that he first announced his intent to nominate Clayton for the Southern District of New York in mid-November and contended that his pick had received “wide, Bipartisan support.”

He added, “Now, after five months and, even though Jay was previously confirmed by the Senate on a Bipartisan basis, and has complied with ALL requests of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Schumer has announced that he is blocking all New York U.S. Attorney Nominees.”

Schumer said earlier on Wednesday that he intended to stop Clayton as well as Joseph Nocella Jr., a Long Island judge chosen for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, using the “blue slip” tradition in which home-state senators can effectively block a nominee if they do not support the individual.

“Donald Trump has made clear he has no fidelity to the law and intends to use the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney offices and law enforcement as weapons to go after his perceived enemies,” Schumer said in a statement.

He added, “Such blatant and depraved political motivations are deeply corrosive to the rule of law and leaves me deeply skeptical of the [sic] Donald Trump’s intentions for these important positions. For that reason, I will not return the blue slip for the U.S. Attorney nominees for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.”

The Republican majority Senate Judiciary Committee has the power to disregard Schumer and proceed with the nominees in spite of his protest. However, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) indicated to The New York Times that his panel would not break the “blue slip” tradition.

In his Wednesday post, Trump stated that his administration remains committed to securing full Senate confirmation for Clayton, advancing past his temporary U.S. attorney role, as with Ed Martin and Alina Habba, interim top federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, respectively.

“The Southern District leads the Department of Justice’s oversight over our Financial Markets, and fights for the safety of Millions of New Yorkers and the over 60 Million people who visit New York annually,” Trump said. “The Southern District needs strong leadership NOW, and I thank Jay for taking on this role while we continue to pursue his Senate confirmation.”