President Donald Trump has nominated Associate Deputy Attorney General Colin McDonald to lead the newly established assistant attorney general position for national fraud enforcement.
Trump announced the nomination in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.
“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 wrote.
“My Administration has uncovered Fraud schemes in States like Minnesota and California, where these thieves have stolen Hundreds of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars,” he added.
Trump touted McDonald’s record as a “Highly Respected AMERICA FIRST Federal Prosecutor.”
“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 said.
“Together, we will END THE FRAUD, and RESTORE INTEGRITY to our Federal Programs. Congratulations Colin — STOP THE SCAMS!” the president concluded.
McDonald has served in the Trump administration since the president’s second inauguration, first as senior counsel to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General until April 2025. Since then, he has served as associate deputy attorney general, a White House official noted.
Vice President JD Vance, who announced the new assistant attorney general position during a White House press briefing on January 8, spoke glowingly of McDonald in a statement obtained by Breitbart News.
“Colin McDonald is widely regarded as a thorough and highly competent attorney,” Vance said. “He has an exceptional prosecutorial track record, which we look forward to seeing him put to use in his new role as Assistant Attorney General.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also spoke highly of McDonald.
“Colin McDonald is doing outstanding work at the Department of Justice and will continue to be an invaluable asset on our team as we work to prosecute fraud around the country,” Bondi said. “His experience working closely with our law enforcement components makes him perfectly suited to help lead the charge on dismantling criminal fraud networks and halting the theft of taxpayer dollars.”
“Since Colin joined our team January 20, 2025, he has been a key part of this administration’s success in making America safe again,” Blanche noted. “He is an experienced prosecutor who loves family, God and country, and will serve the American people and President Trump well.”
Robert Brewer served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California from 2019 to 2021 during a portion of McDonald’s time there as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2014 to 2025.
“I have known Mr. McDonald since 2019, when I became the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California. Mr. McDonald is a career public servant as well as a fearless, strong and ethical prosecutor,” Brewer said in a statement obtained by Breitbart News.
McDonald also served as a special attorney in the District of Hawaii from 2016-2024.
“When Colin worked for me in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I assigned him to a very difficult public corruption case in Hawaii that seriously needed his organizational and legal skills,” Brewer said. “As expected, he was invaluable in resolving the case in a most favorable way. Mr. McDonald is exceedingly bright, dedicated and is a great leader. The American people can trust his judgment, his ethics, and will be proud of his work. I am confident that his appointment will bring great credit to the Administration.”
