President Donald Trump has named Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., after his first choice, Ed Martin, ran into serious trouble with Senate Republicans.
“I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. He praised her as a “powerful crusader for victims of crime” and noted she was the first woman elected to several legal roles.
“She excelled in all ways,” Trump wrote, highlighting her ten-year run on Fox News’ Justice with Judge Jeanine and current spot as co-host on The Five, which he called “one of the Highest Rated Shows on Television.”
Pirro didn’t appear on her usual Fox News show Thursday. ABC News first reported that she was being considered for the job. CNN reached out to her for comment.
Trump’s announcement came after it became clear his original pick, Ed Martin, was not going to make it through the Senate. “He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I can only lift that little phone so many times in a day, but we have somebody else that will be great.”
Martin, who had been serving as interim U.S. attorney, will be moved to another role at the Department of Justice, Trump said, or “whatever.”
Martin’s nomination was collapsing. Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans had to move his nomination forward this week to meet a deadline before his temporary appointment expired on May 20. That didn’t happen.
Sen. Lindsey Graham backed the switch. “Probably a good decision, given all the concerns,” the South Carolina Republican told reporters. He hinted something big was coming: “Stay tuned. It’s going to be big.”
Martin’s nomination had been mired in controversy. He had to revise his congressional disclosures several times to include past appearances on far-right and Russian media. He had once praised a Capitol rioter linked to neo-Nazi beliefs — something he later walked back. Under oath, he said he couldn’t remember making several inflammatory statements.
During his short time in the job, Martin called the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office “President Trumps’ [sic] lawyers” and demoted prosecutors working on cases from the January 6 Capitol attack.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, ultimately sank Martin’s nomination this week. He told the White House he couldn’t support someone with Martin’s stance on January 6.
Still, the Trump team had been trying to push Martin through. “Martin is President Trump’s favorite US Attorney,” said a source close to the nomination.
