President Donald Trump announced Thursday night that he plans to appoint Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a move that is already stirring criticism due to her role in amplifying 2020 election conspiracies.
The announcement came via Trump’s Truth Social platform, where he called Pirro “incredibly well qualified” and praised her television success. “Jeanine is in a class by herself,” Trump wrote, citing her experience as a judge and prosecutor before joining Fox News, where she currently co-hosts The Five.
Pirro is set to replace Ed Martin, a conservative activist whose nomination to remain in the post permanently was withdrawn earlier Thursday following resistance from Senate Republicans. Martin, a former “Stop the Steal” organizer, faced bipartisan scrutiny over his connections to Jan. 6 participants.
Pirro’s track record under scrutiny
Pirro, a longtime Trump loyalist, has echoed many of the false claims about the 2020 election that led to the Capitol riot. In a now-infamous broadcast just days before Jan. 6, she likened the planned certification of President Biden’s victory to a turning point in the American Revolution.
“Jan. 6 is such a moment,” Pirro said at the time, calling on lawmakers to “battle for the America that those soldiers fought for.”
After the attack, she publicly condemned the violence, describing it as “deplorable, reprehensible, outright criminal,” but critics say her earlier rhetoric helped foment the conditions that led to the insurrection.
Her on-air conduct was cited in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which settled in 2023 for $787.5 million. Internal messages revealed a producer calling one of Pirro’s post-election monologues “completely crazy.”
A legally unorthodox choice
Pirro’s appointment, while interim, breaks with traditional norms for selecting federal prosecutors, who are usually drawn from the legal community and vetted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. While Pirro has previous experience as a district attorney in Westchester County, New York, her recent career has centered on partisan broadcasting.
Legal experts say the appointment could face legal or procedural challenges, especially if viewed as a political maneuver to influence ongoing or future investigations in the District of Columbia.
Senate resistance looms
Though interim U.S. attorneys can serve for 120 days without Senate confirmation, the appointment is already facing some backlash.
The White House and Fox News declined immediate comment.
Pirro’s appointment is expected to begin when Martin’s acting term expires on May 20. It remains unclear whether the administration will pursue a Senate-confirmed nominee or keep Pirro in the role through executive extensions.
