US SEC's ex-enforcement chief clashed with bosses before leaving, sources say
Source: Yahoo! Finance/Reuters
Mon, March 23, 2026 at 11:17 AM EDT
WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's top enforcement official, who left abruptly last week, had clashed with agency leaders over the direction of its enforcement program, including the handling of cases with ties to President Donald Trump and his family, according to three people familiar with the matter.
SEC Enforcement Division Director Margaret Ryan resigned last Monday after just over six months on the job, Reuters was the first to report. Her resignation email, seen by Reuters, did not say why she was leaving. Ryan declined to comment when reached by phone and text.
Two of the people said Ryan wanted to be more aggressive in pursuing charges for fraud and other misconduct including in cases that touched the president's circle, but faced resistance from SEC chair Paul Atkins and other top Republican political appointees.
A spokesperson for the SEC said that, under Atkins, the agency made enforcement decisions based on facts, the law, and policy, not on politics: "In every case, the Commission has faithfully applied the federal securities laws. Debate and discussion among our lawyers and other staff is common and encouraged." White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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