President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has chosen Colin McDonald to serve as the inaugural head of a newly created Department of Justice division focused on combating fraud nationwide.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he was pleased to nominate McDonald, a longtime federal prosecutor, to head the department he created “to catch and stop FRAUDSTERS that have been STEALING from the American people.”
McDonald worked under Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and has been involved in efforts to root out what Trump allies have called a weaponization of the DOJ.
“Colin McDonald is a very Smart, Tough, and Highly Respected AMERICA FIRST Federal Prosecutor who has successfully delivered Justice in some of the most difficult and high stakes cases our Country has ever seen,” Trump wrote. “Together we will END THE FRAUD, and RESTORE INTEGRITY to our Federal Programs.”
The announcement formalizes an initiative first announced by Vice President JD Vance earlier this month.
Vance’s announcement came as a major fraud scheme that abused pandemic-era federal funding was uncovered in Minnesota. He has also said fraud is even more prevalent in California.
Vance said the new national fraud enforcement post is meant to centralize the government’s crackdown on fraud, particularly in federally funded benefit programs.
McDonald was identified by officials as the leading candidate for the role shortly after the announcement.
Under DOJ norms, the assistant attorney general position requires Senate confirmation.
The nominee would oversee prosecutions of fraud affecting the federal government, federally funded programs, and private citizens. The new division is intended to coordinate across existing DOJ components that have historically handled fraud cases, including the criminal and civil divisions and U.S. attorney offices, with a specific focus on systemic schemes.
McDonald’s background as a federal prosecutor and senior DOJ official positions him as a familiar figure in law enforcement circles.
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In his role as associate deputy attorney general, he has served as liaison to agencies such as the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Trump did not include when McDonald’s nomination would be submitted to the Senate or when a confirmation hearing might be scheduled.
