SEC's ex-enforcement chief clashed with bosses before leaving, Reuters sources say

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. One case that sparked tension involved cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun , a major backer of the Trump family's World Liberty Financial venture, and another involved Tesla boss Elon Musk , a big donor to Trump's campaign who briefly served as the president's special adviser, the two people said. Reuters granted the sources anonymity to discuss confidential matters related to regulatory enforcement. One of Sun's attorneys and a spokesperson for Musk's law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, declined to comment. 'Our mission is too important' The tensions between Ryan and top SEC officials, which have not previously been reported, shed additional light on how the SEC is policing corporate America under Atkins, who has repeatedly criticized the age...