U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro lashed out at a Fox 5 reporter who questioned her about President Trump’s decision to pardon January 6 rioters—specifically, those who assaulted police officers.
During an interview with reporter Jillian Smith about the administration’s latest plan to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., to deal with rising crime, Pirro was asked about the clear contradiction between backing law enforcement and pardoning those who attacked them.
“This move is about protecting law enforcement,” Smith said. “There are some members of law enforcement who see that today is a little bit hypocritical, given the president’s sweeping pardons of individuals who not just assaulted police officers, but injured them on day one. How is this not a mixed message?”
Pirro dodged the question at first.
“Look, I think the message is very clear. So far this year, I am prosecuting 300 individuals for assaults on police officers. That’s what I’m here to do. That’s what I will continue to do and the police need to understand that I have their back,” she said.
She then shifted focus to law enforcement reinforcements: “Today is about making sure that the police are supported with the National Guard, with the Park Police, with DEA, with ATF, with FBI to protect all of us. That’s who we are, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
But Smith didn’t let it go. “And what about those officers who feel like the people who injured them —”
Pirro cut her off.
“I’m not here to satisfy people’s feelings if they feel bad,” she snapped. “I am here to prosecute crime.”
The exchange drew attention not just for Pirro’s dismissive tone, but for her sharp departure from what she once said about the Capitol riot. On January 9, 2021, she condemned the violence on Fox News, calling it “deplorable, reprehensible, outright criminal.” She added, “Anyone watching this must condemn it.”
Now, she defends Trump’s pardons of the very people who attacked those officers, calling them “hostages.”
The message to law enforcement? Deal with it.
Watch the clip below, via Fox News.
