Trump Picks Judge Jeanine Pirro to Fill DC Prosecutor Post After First Choice Blocked by GOP Senator

President Donald Trump has chosen Fox News host and former New York state judge Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Thursday, “I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. 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. Her establishment of the Domestic Violence Bureau in her Prosecutor’s Office was the first in the Nation,” the president continued.

He concluded writing that Pirro “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, @JudgeJeanine! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/GSXisuRNGU

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 8, 2025

Trump’s announcement of Pirro as interim U.S. attorney came after he expressed disappointment earlier in the day of having to pull Ed Martin from consideration for permanent appointment to the position. Martin is currently the acting U.S. attorney for D.C., but his appointment expires May 20.

“He’s a terrific person,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office. “He wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought. He’s done a very good job. Crime is down 25 percent in D.C. during his period of time,” as acting U.S. attorney since January.

“We have somebody else that will be great. I just want to say, Ed is unbelievable. Hopefully, we can bring him into — whether it’s DOJ or whatever, in some capacity,” Trump added.

🚨 BREAKING: It seems Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) succeeded in tanking the nomination of Ed Martin to U.S. Attorney for D.C.

Trump: “We have somebody else that will be great. I just want to say, Ed is unbelievable. Hopefully we can bring him into, whether it’s DOJ or whatever, in… pic.twitter.com/NYsK0sjIC3

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 8, 2025

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, came out in opposition to Martin’s appointment earlier in the week, citing the attorney’s representation of Jan. 6 defendants in court.

“I met with Mr. Martin. He seems like a good man. Most of my concerns related to Jan. 6. I think anybody that breached the perimeter should have been imprisoned for some period of time, whether it’s 30 days or three years is debatable,” he said.

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis said he won’t back Ed Martin, Trump’s pick for top D.C. prosecutor, because of his work defending Jan. 6 rioters.

“I have no tolerance for anybody that entered the building on Jan. 6,” Tillis said. https://t.co/HOqOSQNmMq pic.twitter.com/40e3KbjD07

— POLITICO (@politico) May 6, 2025

“But I have no tolerance for anybody who entered the building on Jan. 6, and that’s probably where most of the friction was,” Tillis added.

Without Tillis’s support, the Judiciary Committee likely would have deadlocked 11-11, meaning Martin would not have been recommended to the full Senate for approval, according to Politico.

Martin’s nomination could have still been brought to the floor for a full vote, but would have faced other obstacles there, with GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, John Curtis of Utah, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky seen as uncertain, the outlet added.

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