President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is appointing Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former county prosecutor and judge, as the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C. This comes after he withdrew his previous nomination for the position.
Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, cohosts the show “The Five” on weekday evenings. She was elected as a judge in New York’s Westchester County Court in 1990 and served as the district attorney for the county for three terms.
Trump selected Pirro to temporarily lead the U.S. Attorney’s office in D.C. after pulling his nomination of Ed Martin Jr., a conservative activist. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Pirro “incredibly well qualified” for the role, adding that she is “one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York.”
Trump withdrew Martin’s nomination after a key Republican senator expressed opposition due to Martin’s support for rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump explained that Martin wasn’t receiving enough support but assured that Pirro would be great in the role.
Martin had been a leading figure in the “Stop the Steal” movement, which was controversial among those who had spent years prosecuting the rioters, only to see many of them pardoned. Pirro, who has been linked to claims of election fraud, faced a libel lawsuit in 2021 from Smartmatic USA, a voting technology company, for spreading false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in front of the White HousePirro’s appointment is part of a trend where Trump has appointed several people from Fox News, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
A Fox News Media spokesperson wished Pirro well in her new role, noting that she had been a significant part of the network’s success.
Martin had served as acting U.S. Attorney for D.C. since Trump’s first week in office but faced criticism for his qualifications and actions during his brief tenure. He fired and demoted staff who worked on politically sensitive cases and made controversial posts on social media. His temporary appointment expires on May 20.
Pirro, who graduated from Albany Law School in 1975, has more courtroom experience than Martin. She led one of the nation’s first domestic violence units in a prosecutor’s office. She previously ran for political office, including a bid for New York attorney general, but lost to Andrew Cuomo.
Pirro became a familiar television pundit during the O.J. Simpson trial and frequently interviewed Trump during her time at Fox News. In his final moments in office, Trump pardoned Pirro’s ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who had been convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion.
