US Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration has created a new assistant attorney general role to oversee investigations into alleged 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 on Thursday.
Vance said the new post would have "all the benefits, all the resources, all the authority of a special counsel," but with what he described as two key differences.
The role will be based within the White House, under the supervision of President Donald Trump and the vice president, and will rest on what Vance said was a firm constitutional foundation.
Traditionally, attorneys general and their teams operate from within the Justice Department, a structure designed to insulate prosecutors from political influence.
Critics have accused Trump of dismantling long-standing norms intended to preserve the independence of the justice system from political interference.
The new position will require Senate confirmation. Vance said Senate Majority Leader John Thune has assured him of swift confirmation once a nominee is named.
Vance said the inaugural nominee has not yet been selected, but added that the individual will be announced "in about a week" and is expected to serve until the end of the Trump administration.
According to the vice president, initial investigations will focus on Minnesota, where the administration has alleged widespread fraud linked to childcare facilities and officials’ handling of the issue.
The controversy emerged in December after a viral video by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley alleged fraud at Somali-run childcare centres.
State officials later rejected the claims, saying inspections found the facilities were operating properly.
The episode has fuelled political tensions and revived criticism of Trump’s remarks about Minnesota’s Somali community, prompting warnings from civil rights groups about stigma and fear.
