US vice president announces new assistant attorney general post to combat 'fraud'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the Trump administration will establish a new assistant attorney general position that will be run out of the White House to investigate alleged cases of "fraud" nationwide.

"This is the person who is going to make sure that we stop defrauding the American people," Vance told reporters at the White House.

The new post, Vance said, "has all the benefits, all the resources, all the authority of a special counsel, but with two crucial differences." Those include being established within the White House "under the supervision" of President Donald Trump and Vance, and what the vice president alleged is a firm constitutional foundation.

Traditionally, attorney generals and their teams are based within the halls of the Justice Department to insulate the agency and its officials from political interference.

Critics charge that Trump has largely done away with such long-standing norms of independence from political interference.

The post will require Senate confirmation to be filled, and Vance said Majority Leader John Thune has assured him of "swift confirmation for this official." The individual who will be the inaugural nominee has not been named, but Vance said the person will be announced "in about a week."

The individual will likely remain in office until the end of the Trump administration, said Vance.

The vice president said initial investigations will focus on the Minnesota, the US state where the Trump administration has alleged widespread fraud centering on child care facilities and officials' handling of the issue.

The controversy erupted in December after a viral video by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley alleged fraud at Somali-run child care centers, claims later rebutted by state officials, who said inspections found the facilities operating properly.

The episode has intensified political tensions and revived President Donald Trump's strongly derogatory comments about Minnesota's Somali community, prompting warnings from civil rights groups about stigmatization and fear.