Colin McDonald brings distinguished credentials to the bipartisan task of combatting fraud
Prepared Opening Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Nominations
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Good morning. I’d like to welcome everyone to today’s hearing on the nomination of Colin McDonald to be Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
Today, we’re going to hear a lot about fraud enforcement. It’s an important issue – and one that concerns all Americans.
Throughout my career, I’ve led the charge in combatting fraud.
In 1986, I authored landmark amendments to the False Claims Act that enabled the government to recover taxpayer dollars from entities that defrauded its programs.
Since then, the False Claims Act has been used to recover $85 billion in taxpayer dollars, and that number keeps growing.
Last year, the government recovered more than $6.8 billion under the False Claims Act – the highest single year recovery in its history.
I’ve long championed this law, because it is the single greatest resource to combat fraud against the government.
Over the years, I’ve also championed efforts to combat the increasing trend of fraudulent scams that target our elderly communities.
Years ago, I introduced the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act. It stiffened penalties and equipped prosecutors with the tools needed to bring perpetrators to justice.
The Elder Justice Coalition described it as, “one of the most comprehensive and meaningful bills ever developed to address the rapidly increasing problem of elder financial abuse in America.”
I was proud when my bill was signed into law.
I’ve dedicated my years of public service to combatting fraud in all forms.
The examples I noted are just a few of my efforts. But I mention them not only because they’re relevant to today’s hearing, but also because they were bipartisan efforts.
They were bipartisan because combatting fraud is not – and should not be – a Republican or Democrat goal.
We should all agree that investigating fraudsters is important work.
We should also all agree that the government must work to stop scammers who steal money from federal programs.
Hardworking Americans deserve better accountability when it comes to how their tax dollars are spent.
They demand it, and I do too!
We’ve had multiple hearings on the recent fraud in Minnesota that gained national attention.
These shocking fraud schemes have targeted programs that were designed to help children with autism, the elderly and small businesses.
What happened in Minnesota and around the country in recent years is unacceptable.
As I said before, all public officials must work together to hold these wrongdoers accountable and to ensure that this never happens again.
I applaud the Trump administration and the Department of Justice for taking these issues seriously.
I’m happy that the Justice Department is prioritizing fraud enforcement.
That leads me to my introduction of today’s nominee.
Mr. McDonald graduated from California Western School of Law.
He clerked for Judge Michael Anello on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Since then, Mr. McDonald has spent his entire legal career in public service.
In 2014, Mr. McDonald joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
As a prosecutor, Mr. McDonald handled an array of criminal offenses, including narcotics trafficking.
He also specialized in the investigation and prosecution of fraud – money laundering, unlawful transactions and tax crimes.
Mr. McDonald has distinguished himself throughout his career. He has been regularly chosen for special assignments and leadership positions.
For several years, he served as a Special Attorney in the District of Hawaii, where he handled high-profile public corruption cases.
He also helped protect our borders as the Deputy Chief of the Southern District of California’s Border Enforcement Section.
And he protected Americans and pursued justice during the opioid crisis as the Office’s Civil Enforcement Opioid Coordinator.
Most recently, Mr. McDonald has served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General.
At every step of his career, he’s garnered the respect and praise of his peers, and even the judges overseeing his cases.
In one case before the Ninth Circuit, Judge Harry Pregerson interrupted the proceedings to offer rare, open-court praise.
Speaking to Mr. McDonald, he stated, “I want to commend you on your candor, your openness, and your honesty with the Court… Maybe you’ll be U.S. Attorney someday.”
Judge Pregerson’s sentiments are shared by many, and his prediction was not far off.
Mr. McDonald knows how the Justice Department works.
He’s prosecuted the hard cases.
He’s done so by-the-book and with the highest ethical standards.
That’s the sort of person we need leading national fraud enforcement. And I look forward to hearing from him today.
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