President Donald Trump has appointed Fox News star Jeanine Pirro as his interim federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C.
Trump announced the appointment in a Truth Social post Thursday afternoon, where he described the 73-year-old as a “powerful crusader.”
“Jeanine was Assistant District Attorney for Westchester County, New York, and then went on to serve as County Judge, and District Attorney, where she was the first woman ever to be elected to those positions. During her time in office, Jeanine was a powerful crusader for victims of crime,” the president wrote, listing off a handful of Pirro’s other accomplishments in her legal career before moving on to her work on Fox.
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“In addition to her Legal career, Jeanine previously hosted her own Fox News Show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, for ten years, and is currently Co-Host of The Five, one of the Highest Rated Shows on Television. 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 continued. “She is in a class by herself. Congratulations Jeanine!”
News of Pirro’s potential appointment was first reported by ABC News, and came just hours after Trump admitted defeat and pulled his first choice for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from contention following pushback from lawmakers. Ed Martin, a far-right prosecutor who defended the Jan. 6 riots, lost so much support for his extreme views among Republican Senators that Trump was forced to cut him loose.
Pirro is a longtime Fox News personality who once served as district attorney for New York’s Westchester County. Crucially, she is also an outspoken defender of Trump both on the air and off.
She is also infamous for a viral appearance on Fox News in 2020, during which her disheveled appearance and slurred speech led many—including Saturday Night Live—to crack jokes about whether she was drunk.
Fox News officially blamed technical hiccups for the bizarre incident—saying that it was the first show she hosted from her home due to COVID restrictions. Representatives for the network did not comment on the rumors that she was intoxicated.
Just days later, SNL’s Cecily Strong portrayed Pirro as a wine-slugging television personality, spilling wine all over “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost during a well-received sketch.
Pirro has supported Trump during his most controversial moments, including when in 2016 she dismissed his resurfaced vulgar comments about women (“grab them by the p----”) as “locker room banter.”
Her ex-husband, Albert Pirro, was pardoned by Trump during the final hours of his first term, despite being convicted more than 20 years ago on 34 counts of conspiracy and tax evasion. He was also shrouded with countless rumors linking him to the mafia, which, paired with his on-the-record crimes, ultimately ruined his wife’s political career.
Pirro tried to run for Senate in 2005 but her hopes were dashed after she embarrassed herself in an awkward speech—she forgot a page of her script and fumbled with it on stage.
Pirro, who signed the couple’s joint tax return, maintained that she was unaware of her husband’s crimes. During his trial, it came to light that he spent $1,800 on a wrought-iron pen for Pirro’s two potbellied pigs. The two later divorced, and Pirro admitted to trying to wiretap his yacht to catch him in an affair.
Pirro has a long history of making controversial statements about Muslims. In 2015, she said on Fox that “we need to kill them, the radical Muslim terrorists hellbent on killing us.” She was suspended by Fox News in 2019 after questioning Ilhan Omar’s patriotism, asking on air if the Minnesota representative’s religious beliefs undermined her loyalty to the United States. She also claimed Omar’s hijab meant that she followed Sharia law, prompting Fox network to release a statement saying they “strongly condemn” Pirro’s comments.
Trump then posted: “Bring back Pirro,” adding that Fox should “be strong and prosper” rather than “be weak and die.”
Along with her jaunt as a Fox host, Pirro has also tried her hand at daytime television. She hosted a low-rated courtroom show and appeared in “You the Jury,” which was canceled after just two episodes. She also starred in “Justice With Judge Jeanine” on Fox News.
Following Trump‘s 2020 loss, Pirro echoed false allegations of voting machine election fraud. She was named in a defamation lawsuit for broadcasting alleged lies about a voting systems company. Fox News later settled the case for $787.5 million.
Her candidacy for the top prosecutor came to light after Trump got word of dwindling Republican support for Martin, who was seen on Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 attack and has appeared on Russian state media over 150 times.
Trump, who said it was “disappointing” to lose Martin, added that he could serve in another capacity at the Department of Justice.
“He wasn’t getting the support from people,” he said. “We have somebody else that will be great. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
