Colin McDonald (attorney)

Colin McDonald
United States Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division
Nominee
Assuming office
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingTodd Kim[a]
Personal details
BornColin Michael McDonald
(1988-02-13) February 13, 1988
San Diego County, California, U.S.
Children5

Colin Michael McDonald (born February 13, 1988) is an American attorney and prosecutor.

McDonald began working as an assistant United States attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California in 2014. He prosecuted several individuals associated with the Honolulu Police Department, including its chief, Louis Kealoha, and his wife, Katherine. In January 2025, McDonald became an associate deputy attorney general working for deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. He served as the co-director of the Weaponization Working Group within the Department of Justice and coordinated with federal law enforcement agencies in seeking to prosecute protesters who opposed Operation Metro Surge.

In January 2026, president Donald Trump named McDonald as his nominee for assistant attorney general for the National Fraud Enforcement Division, a newly established position. McDonald appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary the following month, in which he faced questions over political prosecutions.

Early life and education

Colin Michael McDonald was born on February 13, 1988, in San Diego County, California.[1] McDonald has a wife and five children.[2]

Career

Assistant U.S. attorney (2014–2024)

McDonald began working as an assistant United States attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California in 2014.[2] He prosecuted former Honolulu Police Department chief Louis Kealoha; his wife, Katherine; and two police officers.[3]

Associate deputy attorney general (2025–present)

In January 2025, McDonald began working for deputy attorney general Todd Blanche[4] as an associate deputy attorney general.[5] As Minnesota officials and protesters conflicted with the Trump administration over Operation Metro Surge in January 2026, McDonald began coordinating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations to quickly prosecute protesters. McDonald additionally worked with Aakash Singh in finding evidence to indict Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison.[4] By the following month, McDonald had been working with deputy homeland security advisor Anthony Salisbury on a working group to prosecute election fraud.[6] McDonald had additionally served as the co-director of the Weaponization Working Group by February.[7]

U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Fraud Enforcement

In January 2026, vice president JD Vance announced that the Department of Justice would establish a division for fraud enforcement that would be operated by the White House Office.[8] That month, CBS News reported that Donald Trump was considering appointing McDonald, believed to be an ally of Todd Blanche.[9] On January 28, 2026, Trump announced that he would nominate McDonald as the assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement, a newly established position.[10] Despite Vance's statement,[11] the administration later indicated that McDonald would report to Blanche and attorney general Pam Bondi while coordinating with Vance and Federal Trade Commission chair Andrew N. Ferguson;[12] the move came after Trump sought to establish a task force to investigate fraud with Vance as its chair.[12]

McDonald appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on February 25.[13] He faced questions over the Trump administration's direct influence on prosecutions, particularly in investigating fraud.[11] McDonald sought to present himself as non-partisan, an assertion that was rebuked by Democrats on the committee, some of whom noted his work at the Weaponization Working Group. He did not answer a question on whether he would prosecute an individual on Trump's order.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ As the assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.

References

  1. ^ "Colin Michael Mcdonald in the California Birth Index, 1905-1995" (Document). California Birth Index.
  2. ^ a b Rabinowitz, Hannah (February 25, 2026). "Meet the man Trump picked to pursue his war on fraud at the Justice Department". CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  3. ^ Jeyaretnam, Miranda (January 29, 2026). "Trump Names First-Ever 'Fraud Czar,' Raising Concerns of Politicized Investigations". Time. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Feuer, Alan; Thrush, Glenn (January 29, 2026). "Justice Dept. Playbook in Minnesota: Investigate Foes, Protect Allies". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  5. ^ "Trump names Colin McDonald as assistant attorney general for fraud enforcement". Reuters. January 28, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  6. ^ Thrush, Glenn; Barrett, Devlin; Feuer, Alan; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Aleaziz, Hamed (February 18, 2026). "Administration Targets Noncitizen Voting, Despite Finding It Rare". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  7. ^ Rabinowitz, Hannah; Perez, Evan; Paula, Reid (February 4, 2026). "Justice Department review found Trump ally Ed Martin improperly leaked grand jury material in probe of president's foes". CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Sorapuru, Julian (March 7, 2026). "Could Massachusetts be the next target of Trump's 'war on fraud'?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  9. ^ Jacobs, Jennifer; Lynch, Sarah (January 15, 2026). "White House eyes prosecutor in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's office for new fraud role, sources say". CBS News. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  10. ^ Harney, John (January 28, 2026). "Trump Nominates US Prosecutor as Top National Fraud Investigator". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Trump's pick to lead new Justice Department unit scrutinized as president declares 'war on fraud'". The Orange County Register. Associated Press. February 25, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Jacobs, Jennifer; Rinaldi, Olivia; Lynch, Sarah (February 4, 2026). "Trump anti-fraud task force targeting California and more states to be led by JD Vance, sources say". CBS News. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  13. ^ Andrews, Natalie (February 25, 2026). "Vance Announces Pause of Nearly $260 Million in Minnesota Medicaid Funding". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
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