The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C. The vote was 50–45.
Pirro takes the job after President Donald Trump pulled back his first pick, conservative activist Ed Martin Jr., whose nomination collapsed under backlash—even from his own party.
Martin was criticized for defending rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, said plainly: “I can’t support someone who excuses political violence.” Martin has since been moved to another role inside the Justice Department, overseeing pardons.
Pirro’s nomination moved forward last month after Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee walked out in protest over another Trump nominee. Republicans pushed Pirro’s name through without opposition.
Before stepping in as acting U.S. Attorney for D.C. in May, Pirro was best known as a fiery co-host of Fox News’ The Five. She regularly featured Trump and used her platform to push his claims about the 2020 election.
She was also named in a massive $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, a voting technology company, along with Fox News. The suit, still ongoing, accuses her of spreading lies that the company rigged the election against Trump.
Despite the controversy, Republicans stood by her. “She’s got the experience and the guts,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune. Pirro, who graduated from Albany Law School in 1975, was a longtime judge and prosecutor in New York. She served three terms as the district attorney in Westchester County and was elected to the bench in 1990.
Her legal record stands in stark contrast to Martin, who had never tried a case.
In a final twist, Pirro’s ex-husband, Albert Pirro, was pardoned by Trump just before leaving office. He had been convicted of tax evasion and conspiracy in 2000.
Jeanine Pirro now holds one of the most powerful law enforcement posts in the country. Her decisions will shape prosecutions in the capital—at a time when trust in justice is already on the line.