Trump Names Fox Host Jeanine Pirro Interim U.S. Attorney for DC (2025)

Jeanine Pirro is exiting Fox News after 14 years to become interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. President Trump announced her appointment Thursday.

Pirro, a former country judge and district attorney from New York who has been a reliable supporter of Trump over the years, joined Fox News as a host in 2011. The first show he hosted for the network was “Justice With Judge Jeanine,” focusing on legal stories in the news. She most recently served as a co-host of “The Five,” which has routinely been the highest-rated program on cable news.

Trump announced Pirro, 73, as the new U.S. attorney for DC on Truth Social, his social media platform.

“I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Trump wrote. “Jeanine was Assistant District Attorney for Westchester County, New York, and then went on to serve as County Judge, and District Attorney, where she was the first woman ever to be elected to those positions. During her time in office, Jeanine was a powerful crusader for victims of crime.”

Trump added, “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. Congratulations Jeanine!”

In 2021, Pirro was cited in a defamation lawsuit seeking $1.6 billion filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which alleged that she and Fox hosts Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo had deliberately shared falsehoods on the air asserting that Dominion’s voting machines contributed to fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In April 2023, Fox agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle the suit. Pirro was named as a defendant in a similar lawsuit filed by voting-tech vendor Smartmatic that remains pending.

In a court filing, Dominion revealed a deposition from Rupert Murdoch, then chairman of Fox News parent Fox Corp., in which he said “some of our commentators were endorsing” claims about the 2020 election being rigged. Murdoch was asked if Pirro had endorsed the claims, and he replied, “I think so.” According to Fox News internal documents, the network’s internal fact-checking unit determined there was “no evidence of widespread fraud” in the election nor were there any “major problems with Dominion’s systems.”

A Fox News spokesperson said in a statement, “Jeanine Pirro has been a wonderful addition to ‘The Five’ over the last three years and a longtime beloved host across Fox News Media who contributed greatly to our success throughout her 14-year tenure. We wish her all the best in her new role in Washington.”

The news of Pirro’s appointment as the U.S. attorney for DC comes after Trump earlier in the day dropped his previous pick for the post, Ed Martin, who “emerged as one of the most passionate defenders of Jan. 6 rioters,” according to the New York Times. Martin had faced mounting opposition from Republicans in Congress. “He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump said, speaking to reporters at the White House. Trump said Martin will have a role at the Justice Department “or whatever,” per CNN.

Later Thursday evening, Trump announced a newly created job for Martin at the DOJ. Martin “will be moving to the Department of Justice as the new Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “In these highly important roles, Ed will make sure we finally investigate the Weaponization of our Government under the Biden Regime, and provide much needed Justice for its victims.”

In addition to Pirro, Trump has turned to other Fox personalities to fill positions in his administration. Those include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was previously a Fox Business host and cast member on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in the late ’90s.