Trump names Fox News host as top Washington prosecutor

In his most recent appointment of a Fox News on-air anchor to a position of government authority, Donald Trump named TV personality and former judge Jeanine Pirro to a crucial position in the US judiciary on Thursday.

The boisterous 73-year-old, who was chosen from one of Trump’s preferred hiring pools—right-leaning television networks—has been appointed interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Other hires from cable news include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former reality TV show competitor and Fox Business co-host.

The pick came soon after Trump pulled his first choice for the post, a defense lawyer who represented defendants charged in the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol.

“I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, describing the former district attorney of New York’s Westchester County as being “in a class by herself.”

Pirro made brief forays into politics by unsuccessfully running for the US Senate and the New York Attorney General position, which he lost to Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

From 2008 to 2011, she hosted the weekday television program “Judge Jeanine Pirro,” which helped her gain more public recognition. In that same year, she made her Fox News Channel debut as host of “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” a program that she continued for 11 years. She currently co-hosts the network’s “The Five.”

“Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy,” published in 2018, is one of Pirro’s other works. The book was called “sycophantic” by the Washington Post for its endorsement of Trump.

After promoting unfounded conspiracy theories alleging election fraud in 2020, Pirro was named a defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which said Fox broadcast false statements about the company.

Fox News settled the case for nearly $800 million.