Latest news with #Pirro
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge Jeanine goes to Washington
Former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, D.C.'s new interim U.S. attorney, is leaping from one spotlight directly into another as she helms the investigation into the capital's most high-profile crime in years. Pirro — who President Donald Trump hosted for a ceremonial swearing in at the Oval Office Wednesday — made an abrupt departure from her longtime position at Fox earlier this month after Trump tapped her for the position in Washington, making her the latest in a string of former personalities at the president's favorite network to join the administration. Pirro was one of Fox's most visible stars, co-hosting the network's talk show 'The Five' since 2022 after an 11-year stint hosting her own program, 'Justice With Judge Jeanine.' But the television veteran found herself in front of the cameras again not two weeks after starting her new role — this time with a far more serious mission. Pirro has quickly become one of the faces of the prosecution against 31-year old suspect Elias Rodriguez, who was charged last week with the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers. Pirro visited the Capital Jewish Museum with Attorney General Pam Bondi just hours after the shooting outside the downtown Washington building left Israeli Embassy staffers Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky dead. She appeared again at a press conference about the shooting beside D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith the following day, where she announced murder and felony firearms charges against Rodriguez and promised to 'vigorously pursue' the case. Trump tapped the longtime Fox News host and stalwart MAGA supporter to the role on May 8, after Ed Martin's nomination for the job faltered in the Republican-controlled Senate, a rare loss for a Trump nominee. While Martin had never worked as a prosecutor and drew criticism for his defense of Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol rioters, Pirro has an extensive legal resume, serving as a district attorney and a judge in Westchester County, New York, before her shift to network fame. Her history on the bench earned her the TV-friendly nickname 'Judge Jeanine,' which followed her throughout her television career. Pirro was also a booster of Trump's unproven claims about a stolen 2020 election. She was a central character in the defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems brought against Fox News, in which the voting machine company alleged that the network pushed falsehoods about its systems as part of a broader conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged. Pirro, who had repeatedly made false claims that Joe Biden's election win was fraudulent, was named several times in the suit. The network ultimately reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion in 2023. But, in contrast to Martin's support for Jan. 6 rioters, Pirro denounced the Jan. 6 attack as 'deplorable' immediately following the attack, setting her up as a less controversial pick for the job than her short-lived predecessor. Pirro's office did not immediately provide a comment for this story. Pirro also has a long history of mutual support with Trump. She has been a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, and used her television platform to vociferously defend the president over the years. And Trump has delivered in return. Trump issued a pardon for Pirro's ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who had been convicted on conspiracy and tax evasion charges in 2000 as one of his last acts in office in 2021. After Trump tapped her for the interim U.S. attorney job, gushing in a May 8 Truth Social post announcing the move that Pirro is 'in a class by herself,' Pirro quickly jumped to serve her longtime ally. The then-Fox host quickly left her post at the network without a final farewell to her viewers, leaving a major hole on one of the most-watched shows in cable news and setting off a game of musical chairs to replace her. Pirro's new role in the U.S. Attorney's office is also not her first political rodeo. She launched — and soon abandoned — an unsuccessful bid to unseat then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2005. Switching gears shortly thereafter, Pirro launched a bid for New York attorney general, but that campaign quickly derailed after she came under federal investigation for planning — with former city Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik — how to covertly record her husband to determine whether he was cheating on her. She was never charged, but ultimately lost the race to Andrew Cuomo. Pirro has already been on the job, even before Wednesday. But the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony at the White House put on display the bond between her and Trump, as the two exchanged flatteries in the Oval Office. 'She's been very, very successful at a thing called television,' Trump joked, going on to say that 'to me, she'll always be known as a great lawyer and great prosecutor, which is what she's doing now.' Pirro returned the favor, thanking Trump in her remarks for the move to 'bring me back to my roots,' before vowing that the killings of the two Israeli Embassy staffers 'will not go without just accounting' and promising that the nation's capital would 'become a shining city on a hill' under her watch. But the road to that gleaming city is long, particularly for Pirro, who is undergoing the trials of transitioning from network fame to the life of a federal worker. In a video posted to her X account last week — captioned 'the federal government has money for everyone but us' — Pirro made a pointed speech about the budgetary constraints of her new workplace. Standing by a water cooler in the U.S. Attorney's office, Pirro complained that attorneys and staff in the office must pay dues to join a 'water club' in order to stay hydrated. 'And today they asked for our patience,' Pirro waxed on. 'Why? Because we couldn't get water delivered today. Today there was no water delivered to the United States Attorney's office — and remember, it's only for those who pay $7 a month. Now ain't it grand to be part of the government? And I'm just thrilled to be here.'
Metro
5 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Trump kisses former Fox News host while swearing her in as new top prosecutor
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video President Donald Trump kissed a former Fox News personality and called her an 'incredible woman' as he swore her in as Washington DC's top prosecutor. Trump gave Judge Jeanine Pirro a quick peck on the side of her head during a ceremony in the Oval Office on Wednesday inducting her as the interim US attorney for the nation's capital. Pirro, who has long been a political ally to Trump, smiled and grasped him by the hands. 'She's an incredible person, an incredible woman,' Trump said from the podium, adding that 'it's a big deal'. The president said that Pirro has been a 'tireless warrior'. Taking the podium, Pirro vowed to take on violence and boost safety in DC. 'Violence will be addressed directly with the appropriate punishment, and this city will again become a shining city on the hill in an America that President Trump has promised to make great again and will make safe again,' she said. Pirro referenced the murder of two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum and said that 'this will not go without just accounting'. 'My voice should be heard loud and clear,' she said. 'No more, no more tolerance of hatred. No more mercy for criminals.' Pirro joined Fox News in 2006 and hosted Justice with Judge Jeanine for 11 years. She then co-hosted The Five until Trump tapped her for her new role this month. She is replacing Ed Martin, who was the president's previous pick. Martin served as DC's interim top prosecutor but lost support from Republicans in part because he defended January 6 rioters. Fox News Media stated that Pirro is 'a longtime beloved host across FOX News Media who contributed greatly to our success throughout her 14-year tenure' and 'we wish her all the best in her new role in Washington'. More Trending Pirro served as an assistant district attorney and district attorney in Westchester County in New York, and became the first female judge in Westchester County Court. Trump said he has 'no doubt' that Pirro will be an 'exceptional' US attorney. 'She will restore public safety in our nation's capital, break up vicious street gangs and criminal networks, and ensure equal justice under the law,' he said. 'You'll see very, very big improvements in the DC area, that I can promise you.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Judge Jeanine goes to Washington
Former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, D.C.'s new interim U.S. attorney, is leaping from one spotlight directly into another as she helms the investigation into the capital's most high-profile crime in years. Pirro — who President Donald Trump hosted for a ceremonial swearing in at the Oval Office Wednesday — made an abrupt departure from her longtime position at Fox earlier this month after Trump tapped her for the position in Washington, making her the latest in a string of former personalities at the president's favorite network to join the administration. Pirro was one of Fox's most visible stars, co-hosting the network's talk show 'The Five' since 2022 after an 11-year stint hosting her own program, 'Justice With Judge Jeanine.' But the television veteran found herself in front of the cameras again not two weeks after starting her new role — this time with a far more serious mission. Pirro has quickly become one of the faces of the prosecution against 31-year old suspect Elias Rodriguez, who was charged last week with the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers. Pirro visited the Capital Jewish Museum with Attorney General Pam Bondi just hours after the shooting outside the downtown Washington building left Israeli Embassy staffers Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky dead. She appeared again at a press conference about the shooting beside D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith the following day, where she announced murder and felony firearms charges against Rodriguez and promised to 'vigorously pursue' the case. Trump tapped the longtime Fox News host and stalwart MAGA supporter to the role on May 8, after Ed Martin's nomination for the job faltered in the Republican-controlled Senate, a rare loss for a Trump nominee. While Martin had never worked as a prosecutor and drew criticism for his defense of Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol rioters, Pirro has an extensive legal resume, serving as a district attorney and a judge in Westchester County, New York, before her shift to network fame. Her history on the bench earned her the TV-friendly nickname 'Judge Jeanine,' which followed her throughout her television career. Pirro was also a booster of Trump's unproven claims about a stolen 2020 election. She was a central character in the defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems brought against Fox News, in which the voting machine company alleged that the network pushed falsehoods about its systems as part of a broader conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged. Pirro, who had repeatedly made false claims that Joe Biden's election win was fraudulent, was named several times in the suit. The network ultimately reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion in 2023. But, in contrast to Martin's support for Jan. 6 rioters, Pirro denounced the Jan. 6 attack as 'deplorable' immediately following the attack, setting her up as a less controversial pick for the job than her short-lived predecessor. Pirro's office did not immediately provide a comment for this story. Pirro also has a long history of mutual support with Trump. She has been a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, and used her television platform to vociferously defend the president over the years. And Trump has delivered in return. Trump issued a pardon for Pirro's ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who had been convicted on conspiracy and tax evasion charges in 2000 as one of his last acts in office in 2021. After Trump tapped her for the interim U.S. attorney job, gushing in a May 8 Truth Social post announcing the move that Pirro is 'in a class by herself,' Pirro quickly jumped to serve her longtime ally. The then-Fox host quickly left her post at the network without a final farewell to her viewers, leaving a major hole on one of the most-watched shows in cable news and setting off a game of musical chairs to replace her. Pirro's new role in the U.S. Attorney's office is also not her first political rodeo. She launched — and soon abandoned — an unsuccessful bid to unseat then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2005. Switching gears shortly thereafter, Pirro launched a bid for New York attorney general, but that campaign quickly derailed after she came under federal investigation for planning — with former city Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik — how to covertly record her husband to determine whether he was cheating on her. She was never charged, but ultimately lost the race to Andrew Cuomo. Pirro has already been on the job, even before Wednesday. But the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony at the White House put on display the bond between her and Trump, as the two exchanged flatteries in the Oval Office. 'She's been very, very successful at a thing called television,' Trump joked, going on to say that 'to me, she'll always be known as a great lawyer and great prosecutor, which is what she's doing now.' Pirro returned the favor, thanking Trump in her remarks for the move to 'bring me back to my roots,' before vowing that the killings of the two Israeli Embassy staffers 'will not go without just accounting' and promising that the nation's capital would 'become a shining city on a hill' under her watch. But the road to that gleaming city is long, particularly for Pirro, who is undergoing the trials of transitioning from network fame to the life of a federal worker. In a video posted to her X account last week — captioned 'the federal government has money for everyone but us' — Pirro made a pointed speech about the budgetary constraints of her new workplace. Standing by a water cooler in the U.S. Attorney's office, Pirro complained that attorneys and staff in the office must pay dues to join a 'water club' in order to stay hydrated. 'And today they asked for our patience,' Pirro waxed on. 'Why? Because we couldn't get water delivered today. Today there was no water delivered to the United States Attorney's office — and remember, it's only for those who pay $7 a month. Now ain't it grand to be part of the government? And I'm just thrilled to be here.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Who is Trump's pick Jeanine Pirro? Jeanine Pirro age, husband arrest, children, Fox News
Former Fox News host and President Donald Trump ally Jeanine Pirro was sworn in Wednesday, May 28 as the interim U.S. attorney for D.C. Pirro, a TV host and former judge and prosecutor, said as she took the oath in the Oval Office she plans to improve safety and address violence in the nation's capital — a city Trump has called "dangerous" due to "failed policies." Trump, who tapped Pirro earlier this month after controversy over his previous pick, Ed Martin, shared confidence in his pick. He promised "very, very big improvements" in D.C. under Pirro, who he says will restore public safety, break up vicious street gangs and criminal networks and ensure equal justice under the law, according to ABC News. Pirro is the latest Fox News personality to join the ranks of the Trump administration, joining alumni including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Dan Bongino. Read on to learn more about who Pirro is, what titles she has held before and her personality history. Jeanine Pirro was born and raised in Elmira, New York, and grew up with Lebanese-American parents, according to NYT. She was elected as a judge in Westchester County Court in 1990 before she was elected the county's district attorney in 1993. She ran two failed statewide campaigns in New York for senator (losing to Hilary Clinton in 2005) and losing the Attorney General race to Andrew Cuomo in 2006. Pirro was an early supporter of Trump's campaign, having stood beside him with fellow Fox News star Sean Hannity during Trump's final campaign rally in 2016. She also publicly defended him during the "Access Hollywood" tape scandal. In 2020, following Trump's loss in the election, Pirro pushed false allegations of election fraud involving voting machines and was named in a lawsuit against Fox News employees who broadcast false claims about the Dominion Voting Systems. Fox News later settled for nearly $788 million and admitted the statements were false. Pirro was a mainstay on the right-wing Fox News Network, beginning as a hard Trump ally and legal analyst on the weekly "Justice with Judge Jeanine" for 11 years, starting in 2011. She later became host of "The Five." Pirro was reportedly suspended from Fox News in 2019 after she questioned if Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar held anti-Constitutional beliefs due to her religion. Jeanine Pirro was born on June 2, 1951: she will turn 74 next month. Jeanine Pirro was married to Albert Pirro in 1975, with the couple having met after getting their law degrees at Albany Law School, according to The New York Times. In 2013, nearly 40 years later, the couple had a messy divorce after Albert Pirro, a lawyer, was convicted on 34 counts of conspiracy and tax evasion in 2000, per The New York Times. According to ABC News, Pirro was found to have improperly deducted over $1 million in lavish personal expenses in tax write-offs for his businesses. Albert Pirro had been tailed by rumors about Mafia ties, according to the Times, and it had also been revealed he fathered a child out of wedlock. Yes. With less than an hour before his first term as president ended, Trump granted one final pardon to longtime GOP donor Albert Pirro. Pirro has since returned to practicing law and works as a partner at Abrams Fensterman LLP in White Plains, New York. His law license was initially suspended in 2003 after his arrest, but he was readmitted to practice law in New York in 2007. Jeanine Pirro has two children with her former spouse Albert Pirro: Daughter, Christi and son, Alexander. Her son got engaged in 2023, Jeanine Pirro posted on Instagram, and her daughter got married in 2017. Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. This article originally appeared on Who is Jeanine Pirro? What to know about Jeanine Pirro husband, age
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Jeanine Pirro sworn in as interim US attorney, pledging 'no more mercy for criminals'
Jeanine Pirro took the oath of office to serve as the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., during an event in the Oval Office on Wednesday. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath alongside President Donald Trump. Pirro is serving as the interim U.S. attorney following the resignation of Ed Martin, Trump's initial pick to serve in the role. "We need to send a message that justice will be honored in the District of Columbia," Pirro said after taking the oath. "My voice should be heard loud and clear: No more. No more tolerance of hatred. No more mercy for criminals." "Violence will be addressed directly with the appropriate punishment, and this city will again become a shining city on a hill in an America that President Trump has promised to make great again and will make safe again," Pirro added. Where Trump Stands With Americans 4 Months Into His 2Nd Term Trump tapped "The Five" co-host for her new role earlier this month. Pirro has left Fox News Channel and a rotation of Fox News personalities will fill her seat on "The Five" until a new co-host is named. Read On The Fox News App The president noted Pirro's career in both the legal and media spaces ahead of her swearing in. "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," a spokesperson for FOX News Media said in a statement. Democrats Eye 2028 Just Months Into Trump's 2Nd Term Pirro remarked on the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staffers on the streets of Washington during her address. She vowed justice would be brought to the "cold-blooded murderer" who was responsible. Fox News Channel Finishes Highest-rated First 100 Days In Cable News History With Dominant April Pirro served as the assistant district attorney and district attorney in New York's Westchester County and became the first woman to serve as a judge in Westchester County Court. She joined Fox News Channel in 2006 and hosted "Justice with Judge Jeanine" for 11 years before joining "The Five," which has emerged as the most-watched show on cable article source: Jeanine Pirro sworn in as interim US attorney, pledging 'no more mercy for criminals'
