President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has chosen longtime Fox New host Judge Jeanine Pirro to be the interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C.
“I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social. “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. She is in a class by herself. Congratulations Jeanine!”
The conservative firebrand previously served as the assistant district attorney and district attorney in New York’s Westchester County and as a judge in Westchester County Court. The president noted that she was the first woman to be elected as a district attorney and a judge in the county.
Pirro has now exited the Fox News Channel, where she had worked since 2006, hosting “Justice with Judge Jeanine” for 11 years before joining “The Five,” the most-watched show on cable news.
Trump also announced Thursday that his previous interim U.S. attorney in D.C., Ed Martin, will move to the Department of Justice as its “Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney.”
Martin is a political activist, attorney and politician from Missouri who helped organize the Stop the Steal rallies, and served as an attorney and advocate for January 6th defendants.
Trump said Martin did “an AMAZING job as interim U.S. Attorney” but the president was forced to pull his nomination when resistance from key Republican senators—most notably Sen. Thom Tillis (R=N.C.)—signaled he did not have the votes to be confirmed.
“In these highly important roles, Ed will make sure we finally investigate the Weaponization of our Government under the Biden Regime, and provide much needed Justice for its victims. Congratulations Ed!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters at the White House earlier in the day. “You know, he’s done a very good job. Crime is down 25 percent in DC during this period of time… I can only lift that little phone so many times of the day. But we have somebody else.”
Tillis expressed support for Pirro Thursday evening on X, saying: “Jeanine Pirro has had a long and storied career as a prosecutor and she is a great choice by @POTUS to serve as U.S. Attorney for DC!”
Trump had to replace Martin quickly because an interim appointment has to be confirmed within 120 days, leaving May 20 as the deadline to confirm his nomination. If the Senate failed to confirm Martin, a federal district court judge would have the option to select an interim U.S. attorney, according to Justice Department rules.
In that case, the decision could very well have fallen to Trump’s legal nemesis Chief Judge James Boasberg, who has repeatedly moved to thwart the president’s deportation efforts.