The Senate confirmed Jeanine Pirro on Saturday as Washington D.C.’s top prosecutor. President Donald Trump nominated her for the role. However, lawmakers failed to agree on a deal to push through many other nominees.
Jeanine Pirro is a former New York judge, prosecutor, and Fox News host. She was among more than 150 pending nominees on the Senate calendar. Republicans sought to overcome Democrats’ blockade on Trump’s picks. Yet, they only managed to confirm seven nominees before recessing until September.
Pirro won the Senate vote 50-45. She had served as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. since May. Before that, she was the District Attorney in Westchester County, New York, for over ten years. Pirro also worked as a judge in Westchester County during the early 1990s.
Trump praised her qualifications when he nominated her. He called her “one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York.” Yet, the Jeanine Pirro confirmation was not straightforward. Pirro was not Trump’s first choice for the position. Ed Martin initially held the nomination but failed to secure enough Republican support. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, opposed Martin due to his stance on the January 6 Capitol riot.
Pirro’s confirmation process had its own challenges. Senate Democrats criticized her for promoting Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims. They also pointed out her defense of Trump after the Capitol riot while she hosted Fox News. Democrats feared she would act as the president’s loyalist in her new role.
Last month, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Democrats staged a walkout to protest Pirro and U.S. District Judge Emil Bove. Bove was also confirmed recently by a close 50-49 vote. Pirro advanced out of the committee on a party-line vote.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called Pirro “an election denialist.” He accused her of recklessly pushing Trump’s “Big Lie,” even against warnings from Fox News producers and executives.
Despite fierce opposition, the Jeanine Pirro confirmation now officially places her in charge of prosecuting cases in the nation’s capital. The confirmation marks a notable moment in Trump’s effort to appoint loyalists to key legal positions.
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