President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had picked Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
The move came after Trump announced he was pulling current interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin’s nomination for the full-time role amid faltering support from Capitol Hill Republicans.
“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.”
Prior to joining Fox News in 2006, Pirro worked as a county court judge and then served three consecutive terms as Westchester County district attorney. Fox News anchor Bret Baier confirmed Pirro would be leaving the network on his show Thursday.
Throughout his second term, Trump has routinely mined the television network controlled by Rupert Murdoch and his family to build out his administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both came from Fox News. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was previously a paid contributor.
Martin, Trump’s first pick for the job, came under fire for his views on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He helped run an organization that advocated for Jan. 6 defendants and has vehemently pushed Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
For Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a crucial vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Martin’s activism around Jan. 6 — he marched to the Capitol before the riot but did not enter — was a dealbreaker. Tillis’ opposition was a grave blow for Martin’s chances of confirmation. Sure enough, Trump told reporters earlier Thursday that he was moving on.
“We have somebody else that will be great,” he said. “We have somebody else who we’ll be announcing.”
Several hours later, the president announced he’d landed on Pirro.
But Martin will remain in the administration as “the new Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney” at the Department of Justice, Trump also announced Thursday on Truth Social.
“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,” Trump said.
Just before the end of his first term in January 2021, Trump issued a pardon to Pirro’s ex-husband, Albert, who was convicted in 2000 on charges of conspiracy and tax evasion.