President Donald Trump has appointed Jeanine Pirro, co-host of Fox’s The Five, as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, making her the 23rd former Fox News employee to join his administration.
This move continues a long-standing pattern of Trump recruiting his most vocal media allies for key government positions.
A Familiar Face from Fox News
Pirro’s new job puts her in charge of federal prosecutions in Washington, D.C., a position with a lot of power and influence.
Before getting into TV, Pirro worked as a judge in Westchester County, New York, in the early 1990s, where she picked up the “Judge Jeanine” nickname that stuck throughout her media career.
After that, she served three terms as the district attorney in the same county, a role she held until 2005.
But her time as a prosecutor ended nearly 20 years ago, following a failed Senate run in 2005 and a tough loss in the 2006 New York attorney general race.
From the Bench to the Anchor Desk
Pirro started working at Fox News as a legal analyst in 2006.
Over the years, she became a strong supporter of Trump, often backing him on air. In 2011, she got her own show, ‘Justice with Judge Jeanine,’ where she frequently defended Trump and his policies.
In 2022, she became a co-host of The Five, providing her with a daily platform to shape conservative opinion.
“Incredibly Well Qualified”
Trump announced the appointment on Truth Social, calling Pirro “incredibly well qualified for this position.”
Fox News anchor Bret Baier broke the news on air, noting that “she will be leaving Fox to take this position,” while a Fox spokesperson added, “We wish her all the best in her new role in Washington.”
Her departure from the network is effective immediately.
A Record of Controversy
Pirro’s track record at Fox raises concerns about her fitness for the position.
She was suspended by the network for two weeks in 2019 after questioning whether Rep. Ilhan Omar’s decision to wear a hijab was “indicative of her adherence to sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution.”
This was part of a broader pattern of controversial statements, including calls to “start having a conversation about surveillance in mosques.”
Election Lies and Legal Risks
Her promotion also follows her involvement in spreading false claims about the 2020 election.
Pirro’s comments about Dominion Voting Systems allegedly rigging the vote against Trump became part of the company’s defamation lawsuit against Fox, which the network settled for a record sum in 2023.
According to internal Fox emails revealed during the case, her executive producer reportedly described her as a “reckless maniac” who is “nuts” and “should never be on live television.”
What Comes Next?
Still, Trump seems to prioritize loyalty over traditional qualifications, filling his administration with familiar faces from Fox, like Pirro, Pete Hegseth, and Dan Bongino, all of whom have landed major roles despite not having the usual backgrounds for those positions.
Trump has also appointed several current Fox News hosts to advisory roles that did not require them to leave the network.
Weekend host Mark Levin was named to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, while hosts Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo were appointed to the board of the Kennedy Center.
Several other former Fox News personalities have also found their way into the Trump administration, such as Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former co-host of The Five, who is now the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, and Tammy Bruce, who serves as the spokesperson for the Department of State.
Pirro’s appointment raises questions about how she will wield the considerable power now at her disposal.
If confirmed by the Senate, she would lead the largest U.S. attorney’s office in the country, with more than 350 prosecutors handling everything from local crimes to national security cases.
Some people are concerned that Pirro’s history of making controversial statements and her close ties to Trump could affect how she handles the job, possibly using it to target his political opponents.
Others think her lack of recent courtroom experience might make it hard for her to have a real impact.
Either way, her appointment is another example of Trump filling top roles with people known for their loyalty and media presence.
IMAGE CREDIT: “Jeanine Pirro” by Gage Skidmore, via Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image adjusted for layout.