Fox host Jeanine Pirro to replace Ed Martin as Trump's US attorney for DC

WASHINGTON (CN) — Firebrand Fox News host and former New York district attorney Jeannine Pirro is President Donald Trump’s pick to be interim U.S. attorney for D.C., he announced Thursday evening.

Pirro, co-host of Fox News’ The Five and former host of Justice with Judge Jeanine, will replace Ed Martin, D.C.’s acting lead federal prosecutor, as the interim U.S. attorney. She has not yet been nominated for the permanent role, which would require her to be confirmed by the Senate.

Trump, announcing his pick in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, called Pirro a “powerful crusader for victims of crime” during her tenure as both a district attorney and county judge in Westchester County, New York.

“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,” he wrote. “She is in a class by herself.”

In a separate statement, a Fox News media spokesperson said Pirro had been a “wonderful addition” to The Five and a beloved host across the network. “We wish her all the best in her new role in Washington,” the spokesperson said.

Pirro’s announcement comes just hours after Trump said that he would withdraw Martin’s nomination for D.C.’s U.S. attorney as it became clear that he did not have enough votes to clear a key hurdle in his Senate confirmation process. Her name had floated as a possible replacement — ABC News reported Thursday afternoon that the president was “strongly considering” her for the role.

If she gets a nomination as permanent U.S. attorney, the Fox News host is sure to be just as controversial as Martin was. During her time at Fox News, Pirro made false claims about voter fraud related to the 2020 presidential election and was the defendant in a defamation case filed by voting machine company Smartmatic. Pirro was also named in a separate suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems in which Fox News settled for nearly $800 million and had to acknowledge that it had broadcast false statements about voter fraud.

Prior to joining Fox, Pirro was district attorney of Westchester County from 1994 to 2005. She also served as a judge on the county’s court from 1991 to 1993.

Pirro is already faring better among Senate Republicans who were skeptical of Martin’s candidacy for U.S. attorney, particularly over his stance on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who sunk Martin’s nomination this week, said in a post on X that she was a “great” choice for interim U.S. attorney and pointed to her experience as a prosecutor. Tillis told Courthouse News on Thursday that prosecutorial experience should be a key factor in any replacement for Martin.

The North Carolina senator had come out against Martin after meeting with him this week. He said the nominee’s views conflicted with Tillis’ own that anyone who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 should be prosecuted “period.”

Pirro, in the days following the 2021 riot, decried the attempt to stop President Joe Biden’s election certification as “deplorable, reprehensible and criminal.” But claims of voter fraud, like the ones she was accused of broadcasting on television, were central to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Regardless, it will likely be some time before D.C. has a permanent federal prosecutor. Martin, currently the capital’s acting U.S. attorney, will be forced to step down from his role on May 20. Federal law holds that the U.S. District Court for D.C. can appoint an interim attorney until a permanent one is confirmed by the Senate.

U.S. attorneys are traditionally advanced through the Senate with little public scrutiny. But during Martin’s nomination process, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee were poised to force a vote on whether to hold a hearing on his candidacy — and could do so again with Pirro’s nomination.

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