Who is the chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. federal government?

• A. Attorney General
• B. Director of Homeland Security
• C. Secretary of Defense
• D. President

Answer: (A)

Federal law enforcement at the highest level is organized around the Department of Justice, with the Attorney General as its head. This official is the chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. federal government and serves as the primary legal adviser to the President and the executive branch. The Attorney General oversees federal criminal prosecutions through U.S. Attorneys and supervises major enforcement agencies such as the FBI, the DEA, and the ATF, coordinating nationwide enforcement of federal laws.

Other roles don’t fit this specific function: the Secretary of Defense leads the military, not civilian federal law enforcement; the position named here would be a Director of Homeland Security, but the department is led by a Secretary and handles border security and related tasks rather than acting as the umbrella for federal criminal prosecutions; and while the President directs policy and has constitutional authority, the actual enforcement is carried out by the Attorney General under the President’s guidance.