U.S. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Director Gadyaces Serralta and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro hold a press conference to announce details of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force "summer surge", ahead of America250 events, at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
A political analyst was stunned on Thursday after one of President Donald Trump's federal fraud investigators refused to answer a reporter's question.
Colin McDonald, an assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement, spoke at a press conference announcing criminal charges against 15 organizations in Minnesota that have allegedly defrauded federal Medicaid and autism-related benefit programs. During the press conference, a reporter asked McDonald about Trump's previously commuted sentences for people convicted of stealing Medicaid money and whether some of the people charged on Thursday can expect similar leniency.
"I'll take a different question as the final question," McDonald said, pointing to a reporter on the other side of the room.
The prosecutor's comments stunned political analyst Adam Mockler, who reacted to them in a new YouTube video.
"Oh my god!" Mockler said. "They can't take any hard questions. Look, the guy's mouth is agape throughout the question being asked. He doesn't even know how to answer this in any meaningful way."
Mockler's comments came at a time when the Trump administration is facing significant criticism for its fraud initiative. Trump has pardoned several people who were convicted of fraud, including reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of bank fraud in 2022, and former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who pleaded guilty to stealing campaign donations to pay for personal expenses.