“I am pleased to nominate Colin McDonald to serve as the first ever Assistant Attorney General for National FRAUD Enforcement, a new Division at the Department of Justice, which I created to catch and stop FRAUDSTERS that have been STEALING from the American People,” Trump said, adding that fraud schemes recently uncovered in Minnesota and California were found to have stolen “hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.”
Trump commended McDonald for successfully delivering justice in “some of the most difficult and high stakes” cases. “Congratulations Colin—STOP THE SCAMS!”
McDonald has been working as an associate deputy attorney general since April 2025, and earlier as a senior counsel to the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche.
McDonald has served as a judicial law clerk for the district court of Southern District of California beginning in 2012, and worked as a federal prosecutor between 2014 and 2025 in Southern California and Hawaii.
New Fraud Division
Trump announced the creation of the Department of Justice’s new division for national fraud enforcement on Jan. 8 for combating the “pervasive problem of fraud” in the country.
The division will enforce criminal and civil laws against fraud targeting federal government programs, federally funded benefits, businesses, nonprofits, and private citizens nationwide
The issue has come into the spotlight with the uncovering of alleged widespread fraud schemes in states such as Minnesota.
“The Department of Justice is currently engaged in multiple active, ongoing, and extensive investigations into the fraudulent activity that has occurred in various Minnesota programs, including the State’s Feeding Our Future, Housing Stabilization Services, Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention programs. Department lawyers are also leading the prosecution of the Evergreen Recovery Medicaid fraud defendants,” the White House stated.
The McDonald-headed national fraud enforcement division will coordinate with various government departments to enforce federal law against fraudulent schemes in the country.
“We are creating a new assistant attorney general position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” said Vice President JD Vance in a news conference on Jan. 8, adding that the enforcement actions will begin in Minnesota.
The position has all the authority of a Special Counsel, but “it will be run out of the White House under the supervision of me and the president,” Vance said.
