Washington DC - President Donald Trump and his administration announced the creation of a new fraud enforcement division within the Department of Justice that will answer directly to him.

In a statement issued Thursday, the White House said the National Fraud Enforcement division will "combat the rampant and pervasive problem of fraud in the United States," and "enforce ⁠the federal criminal and civil ‌laws against fraud."

The division will be run by a new "Assistant Attorney General," who will be responsible for "leading the Department's efforts to investigate, prosecute, and remedy fraud affecting the Federal government, Federally funded programs, and private citizens."

During a press conference later that day, Vice President JD Vance further added that the division's leadership would be "run out of the White House" and answer directly to him and President Trump.

Vance also insisted it was "actually constitutionally legitimate."

The move comes after MAGA journalist Nick Shirley shared a video on social media accusing the state of Minnesota of committing fraud by giving over $110 million to "Somali-ran fraudulent businesses" – particularly childcare centers.

Despite lacking concrete evidence, the video rapidly went viral in right-wing circles and eventually caught the attention of the president and his administration.

The Trump administration announced earlier this week that they have frozen more than $10 billion in federal child care funds to Minnesota, along with several other Democrat-run states, as they undergo investigation.