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 Assistant Attorney General for National Fraud Enforcement, a new division in the Department of Justice I created to catch and stop fraudsters who steal 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 said.
Trump touted McDonald’s record as “a highly respected America’s first federal prosecutor.”
“Colin McDonald is a very smart, tough and highly respected America’s 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 fraud, and restore integrity to our federal programs. Congratulations to Colin – Stop the Scam!” The President concluded.
McDonald has served as senior counsel for the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in the Trump administration from the president’s second inauguration until April 2025. Since then, he has served as an associate deputy attorney general, a White House official said.
Vice President J.D. Vance, who announced the new assistant attorney general position during a White House press briefing on Jan. 8, spoke candidly about McDonald in a statement obtained by Breitbart News.
“Colin MacDonald is widely regarded as a thorough and highly competent lawyer,” Vance said. “She has an exceptional prosecutorial track record, which we look forward to seeing her utilize in her new role as Assistant Attorney General.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch also praised McDonald.
“Colin McDonald is doing excellent work at the Department of Justice and he will continue to be an invaluable asset to our team as we work to prosecute fraud across the country,” Bondy said. “His experience working closely with our law enforcement components makes him perfectly suited to help dismantle criminal fraud networks and stop the theft of taxpayer dollars.”
“Since Colin joined our team on January 20, 2025, he has been a critical part of this administration’s success in making America safe again,” said Blanch. “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 the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California from 2019 to 2021, during a portion of McDonald’s time 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 counsel in the District of Hawaii from 2016-2024.
“When Colin worked for me in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I assigned him a very difficult public corruption case in Hawaii that seriously required his organizational and legal skills,” Brewer said. “As expected, he was invaluable in resolving the matter in the most favorable manner. Mr. McDonald is extremely talented, dedicated, and 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 be a great credit to the Administration.”
