Another former longtime staple presence of the Fox News Channel has officially joined the Trump administration.
Judge Jeanine Pirro was officially appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia after the Senate confirmed her with a 50-45 vote on Saturday.
Pirro was President Donald Trump’s second pick for the role, and has been serving in the position on an interim basis since May.
The president initially proposed Ed Martin, a seasoned conservative activist and podcast host, known for his support of January 6th rioters, for the role. However, Martin couldn’t secure sufficient backing from Senate Republicans for his confirmation to advance.
Pirro’s journey to confirmation was not without challenges. Her nomination faced delays, needing to be voted out of the Judiciary Committee twice. Democrats staged a walkout during a committee hearing two weeks prior, arguing that Republicans expedited the confirmation process improperly, thus nullifying the initial committee vote.
In a swearing-in ceremony held in the Oval Office in May, Trump praised Judge Jeanine Pirro for her dedication, stating, “For over five decades, Jeanine Pirro, recognized by millions as Judge Jeanine, has dedicated her life to justice, freedom, and the fair, equal, and impartial rule of law.”
Trump also referred back to Pirro’s early career as a district attorney in Westchester County, New York.
‘And she went after real criminals, not fake criminals, like we seem to do today, nowadays,’ the president added back in May.
U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro is seen speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump during her interim swearing-in ceremony at the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Jeanine Pirro, alongside Jessica Tarlov, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, and Greg Gutfeld, participates in Fox News’ ‘The Five’ at Fox News Studios on June 28, 2023, in New York City.
U.S. Attorney General for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro listens to President Donald Trump speak during her interim swearing in ceremony, May 28, 2025, in Washington.
Pirro will now formally serve in a unique position, overseeing both federal crimes, and serious crimes committed in Washington, D.C.
Her new jurisdiction encompasses the U.S. Congress, as well as the headquarters of most government agencies, which makes her role one of the most influential in the country. Cases brought before her division may include ones of national security and public corruption, as well as violent crimes and drug trafficking.
Republicans, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, praised Trump’s selection of Pirro for the role, while doing their best to fend off attacks on Pirro from their Democrat counterparts.
‘You may hear my Democrat colleagues criticize Ms. Pirro for some of her colorful remarks during her time as a TV personality,’ Grassley, stated on the Senate floor ahead of Saturday’s vote, adding that ‘yes, she has a larger-than-life personality.’
However, Grassley added that, ‘she has [a] decades [long] distinguished record as a prosecutor and judge. D.C. is fortunate that the president nominated her to serve as its U.S. attorney. Her job in the interim role, where she is stationed now, has been heralded.’
Cecily Strong returned on the May 10 2025 episode of SNL to reprise one of her most recognized roles, playing Jeanine Pirro. In the cold open, President Donald Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) announced that he had named “one of the loudest people I know,” Pirro, as interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C.
Democrats framed Pirro as ‘an election denialist, recklessly peddling President Trump’s Big Lie.’ Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said that Pirro continued to push claims about the 2020 election, ‘despite even her own Fox News producers and executives warning her to reel it in.’
Fox Corp, the parent company of Fox News, is still locked in a legal battle with voting machine technology company Smartmatic, and Pirro is among the list of Fox personalities accused of spreading false claims about the 2020 election.
Pirro’s comments during her Fox News tenure also captured the attention of writers at the comedy show ‘Saturday Night Live’. There, Pirro was played by Cecily Strong. In her portrayals of the Fox News personality, Strong frequently praised Trump, and also carried and drank alcohol during her imitations of Pirro.
After Saturday’s confirmation vote, Pirro wrote on social media site X that she was ‘blessed to have received a Senate confirmation vote this evening of 50 to 45 to be the United States attorney for the District of Columbia the largest United States Attorney’s Office in the country.’
‘Thank you to those senators who supported my confirmation and DC- get ready for a real crime fighter,’ Pirro added in her X post.
