Article Summary
President Donald Trump has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia after abandoning his first pick, Ed Martin Jr. Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, is known for her work in the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s office and her role as a host on Fox News. Smartmatic USA, a voting technology company, has sued Pirro and others for spreading false claims about the 2020 presidential election. Pirro is the latest in a string of Trump appointments coming from Fox News.
What This Means for You
- Stay informed about major appointments in the U.S. Justice Department.
- Understand the impact of politicians’ connections to conspiracy theories and false claims.
- Be aware of the qualifications and backgrounds of top government officials.
- Recognize the growing influence of media personalities in politics and government.
Original Post
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is naming Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital after abandoning his first pick for the job. Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, cohosts the network’s show “The Five” on weekday evenings. She was elected as a judge in New York’s Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county’s elected district attorney. Trump tapped Pirro to at least temporarily lead the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s office after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. for the position earlier Thursday.
Trump withdrew Martin from consideration after a key Republican senator said he could not support Martin for the job due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was naming Pirro as the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., but didn’t indicate whether he would nominate her for the Senate-confirmed position on a more permanent basis. “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. She is in a class by herself,” Trump wrote.
Martin’s temporary appointment is due to expire May 20.
Pirro, a 1975 graduate of Albany Law School, has significantly more courtroom experience than Martin. She led one of the nation’s first domestic violence units in a prosecutor’s office.
In 2021, voting technology company Smartmatic USA sued Fox News, Pirro and others for spreading false claims that the company helped “steal” the 2020 presidential election from Trump. The company’s libel suit, filed in a New York state court, sought $2.7 billion from the defendants.
Key Terms
- Jeanine Pirro
- U.S. Attorney
- Fox News
- Conspiracy Theories
- Voting Technology Company
- Presidential Appointments
- Qualifications & Background Check
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