In a highly polarized decision, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Jeanine Pirro as top prosecutor for the District of Columbia. The vote, held on Saturday during an unusual weekend session, passed narrowly 50–45 along party lines.
Pirro, 74, a former Fox News host, judge, and Westchester County prosecutor, has been serving as interim U.S. attorney for D.C. since May. Her confirmation follows the rejection of Trump’s initial nominee, Ed Martin, a right-wing podcaster linked to “Stop the Steal,” whose advocacy for January 6 rioters stirred significant controversy.
Pirro is known for her fierce on-air defenses of former President Donald Trump and her hardline stance on immigration and crime. Despite backlash from Democrats, her nomination was pushed through by Republican leadership, who remained in Washington under Trump’s pressure to confirm stalled appointments.
Democrats voiced strong opposition. Senate Judiciary Committee member Dick Durbin called her confirmation “a grave mistake,” citing her history of defending 2020 election denial and her alignment with Trump’s political agenda. “Jeanine Pirro confirmed as top prosecutor is less about justice and more about loyalty,” Durbin said in a statement.
Pirro declined to answer several key questions during her confirmation process, including whether January 6 defendants deserved pardons or if executive branch officials could legally defy court orders. Her vague responses raised ethical and legal concerns from critics.
As interim U.S. attorney, Pirro implemented a controversial policy to review the immigration status of all criminal defendants—a move aligned with the Trump administration’s broader deportation agenda. She will now oversee several high-profile cases, including the investigation into the recent deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, which she plans to prosecute as hate crimes and acts of terrorism.
The confirmation of Jeanine Pirro as top prosecutor was celebrated by allies. Attorney General Pam Bondi described her as “a warrior for law and order.” The D.C. Police Union also welcomed the move, signaling a strengthened relationship between federal prosecutors and local law enforcement.
Still, her appointment comes amid broader scrutiny of Trump’s reshaping of the Justice Department, often replacing career prosecutors with personal allies. The administration is using procedural workarounds to install loyalists in other states, including Alina Habba in New Jersey, bypassing Senate confirmation through temporary assignments.
Pirro’s past controversies have also resurfaced. She was once under federal investigation for allegedly attempting to wiretap her husband’s boat amid suspicions of infidelity. Her ex-husband, Albert Pirro—Trump’s former real estate attorney—was convicted of tax fraud and later pardoned by Trump in 2021.
In her statement following confirmation, Jeanine Pirro, now officially top prosecutor for D.C., said: “The confidence placed in me by the President and affirmed by the Senate will not be in vain. I am committed to restoring safety and integrity in the nation’s capital.”
As one of Trump’s most high-profile appointments this term, Jeanine Pirro’s confirmation as top prosecutor signals a deepening transformation of the federal justice system under Trump’s second-term leadership.
