U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed longtime Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Further solidifying the connection between the White House and Fox News, the move reflects Trump’s pattern of selecting personalities from the conservative media network for key government roles.
Pirro, 73, co-hosted The Five and built a prominent career in both television and law. Before her time at Fox, she served as a Westchester County prosecutor, a judge, and later, as district attorney.
Highlights
- Trump appointed longtime Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
- Pirro has previously defended Trump and was involved in election fraud claims, later named in a Dominion defamation lawsuit.
- This appointment continues Trump's trend of selecting former Fox News personalities for key government roles.
Trump has appointed ex-Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the interim U.S. Attorney for D.C.
Image credits: John Lamparski/Getty Images
“Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the top district attorneys in the history of the State of New York,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She is in a class by herself.”
Her appointment comes after Trump withdrew the nomination of Ed Martin for the same position Thursday. Martin’s term as acting U.S. attorney was set to expire on May 20.
“He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters.
“But we have somebody else that will be great,” he added.
Trump said Martin could still serve in another capacity at the Department of Justice.
In 1990, Pirro became the first woman judge in Westchester County, and in 1993, the first woman district attorney. She holds a strong reputation for her cases on domestic violence and crimes against the elderly.
Pirro has been a vocal supporter of Trump, since her prosecution days. She had publicly defended Trump during the Access Hollywood tape controversy, where Trump was recorded talking about groping women, calling it locker-room talk.
She was also part of pushing the allegation of election fraud involving voting machines during Trump’s loss in the 2020 elections.
She was later named in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit for making false claims about the company. Fox News admitted that the statements were false and settled for $787.5 million.
During his first term as president, Trump also pardoned Pirro’s then husband, Albert Pirro, of his 2000 conviction of conspiracy and tax evasion charges.
Pirro has been a vocal supporter and defender of the U.S. president
Image credits: Jeanine Pirro / X
With Pirro’s appointment, Trump has now placed several former Fox News figures in high-level roles within his administration.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also an ex-Fox News employee, previously co-hosting Fox & Friends Weekend. His wife, Jennifer Rauchet, was a Fox News producer and reportedly plays an active role behind the scenes. She reportedly earned the nickname Yoko Ono among Pentagon staff for her constant presence.
Sean Duffy, a former Fox Business host, now serves as transportation secretary. He used to be a co-host on The Bottom Line on Fox News.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, meanwhile, is also a former The Five co-host who served as an advisor and led the fundraising division of Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. She has been nominated as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
Trump has appointed several ex-Fox News employees for high-level roles
Image credits: The White House/ Flickr
Dan Bongino, former host of the show Unfiltered with Dan Bongino on Fox, also recently started his role of FBI deputy director.
Even former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who hosted his own show on Fox News for seven years, was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Trump recently withdrew the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox contributor, for surgeon general. In her place, he nominated wellness influencer Casey Means.
Pirro is serving as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.