Gensler clashed with SEC investor-advice rule in sign of changes to come at regulator If confirmed, he’s likely to lead the market regulator in a sharply different direction from the one charted by his predecessor, Wall Street lawyer Jay Clayton. Gary Gensler testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 30, 2013, before the Senate Banking Committee. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Link Copied When Gary Gensler chaired a Maryland financial protection commission in 2019, the group called on state lawmakers to adopt a strict standard to prohibit conflicts of interest by professionals offering investment advice. What was striking about Gensler’s move is that it came just before the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington finalized its own national rule, one of the agency's most significant regulations during the Trump administration — and one that investor advocates had denounced as too weak.