The White House announced Thursday the creation of a new assistant attorney general position aimed squarely at combating widespread taxpayer fraud—fraud Vice President J.D. Vance said has been carried out by Somali networks in Minnesota and across the country, while politicians looked the other way.
Speaking at a White House press briefing, Vance said the nominee for the new post will be announced in the coming days and noted that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has pledged a “swift” confirmation process. When the administration decides to act, it clearly doesn’t plan on dragging its feet.
“We are creating a new assistant attorney general position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” Vance said. While the effort will initially focus on Minnesota, he stressed it will be national in scope, because taxpayers have been defrauded “in a very nationwide way.” That’s a polite way of saying this problem isn’t small—and it isn’t isolated.
Vance pointed out that fraud has also been rampant in states like California and even his home state of Ohio, making it clear this isn’t about politics—it’s about accountability. Or at least it should be.
He went further, calling on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to resign, saying it’s “very clear” that Walz either knew about the welfare fraud in Minneapolis or, at minimum, chose to look the other way. According to Vance, neither option reflects particularly well on the governor.
“This is not like Lex Luthor,” Vance said, dismissing any attempt to dress the situation up as some complex criminal mastermind operation. “This is the lowest IQ possible fraud.” He added bluntly that Walz’s role will be examined, whether it was “unbelievable incompetence” or something worse.
Vance explained that while the administration has been working for months to combat this kind of fraud, officials ultimately decided the most effective solution was to create a dedicated division within the Department of Justice. Sometimes streamlining beats symbolism.
As part of that effort, the administration has activated a major interagency task force to address fraud across multiple federal programs, including SNAP under the Department of Agriculture, education funding, federal daycare money, and more. According to Vance, the DOJ has already issued more than 1,500 subpoenas and secured nearly 100 indictments, involving mostly Somali immigrants and some others, with agents now going door-to-door to investigate.
Vance emphasized who these programs are meant to serve. If you’re a young parent struggling to afford childcare, he said, these programs exist to help American citizens—not to be looted by organized fraud rings.
He also addressed calls for appointing a special counsel, explaining that the new assistant attorney general role avoids the constitutional weaknesses inherent in special counsel appointments. Unlike a special counsel, this position will be Senate-confirmed and constitutionally sound.
“It has all the benefits, all the resources, all the authority of a special counsel,” Vance said, “but it’s actually constitutionally legitimate.” He added that the goal is to make sure criminals are held permanently accountable, without legal loopholes letting them walk free later.
Vance pointed to former Special Counsel Jack Smith as a cautionary example, noting that his appointment was found unconstitutional. Setting aside, as Vance put it, the “lunatic” nature of the case and its lack of merit, the core issue was that Smith had not been properly appointed or confirmed.
The message from the White House was unmistakable: the era of fraud being ignored is over. With constitutionally grounded authority, coordinated enforcement, and leadership willing to act, the administration says it’s finally putting taxpayers first—and that’s a fight most Americans are more than ready to see won.
