Fox News star Jeanine Pirro sworn in as interim U.S. attorney in D.C.

Jeanine Pirro was sworn in as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia on Wednesday, filling the spot held by Ed Martin, whose nomination tanked in the Senate.

Ms. Pirro, 73, is coming off a major role on Fox News’ “The Five.”

She now runs a prosecutor’s office responsible for defending the federal government’s actions in court and for prosecuting most local crimes committed in the District of Columbia.

The Washington Times contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for comment.

Mr. Trump selected Ms. Pirro, who had a career as a judge and district attorney in Westchester County, New York, before becoming a TV star, to replace Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin’s defense of Jan. 6, 2021, rioters at the U.S. Capitol lost him the support of key Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, namely North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. 

Mr. Tillis signaled this week that he would support Ms. Pirro’s nomination, giving her a better chance to ascend to the office’s permanent role.

Mr. Martin’s short tenure was highlighted by the broad pardons he recommended to Mr. Trump.

That included advising the president to grant clemency to more than 1,500 people convicted in the Capitol riot, two D.C. police officers who were convicted in a pursuit that ended with a deadly crash, and pro-life protesters who were sent to prison for blocking a clinic in the city’s Northwest area.

After leaving his post, Mr. Martin will continue to work as a pardon attorney for the Justice Department and as the director of the agency’s Weaponization Working Group, which Mr. Trump said will investigate alleged federal overreach during the Biden administration.

“I loved my job as D.C.’s U.S. attorney, but I am really going to love how Judge Jeanine Pirro takes up the mission with her passion and intelligence and real-world experience as a prosecutor and judge,” Mr. Martin said Tuesday at an outgoing press conference. “She really is amazing. I have already been working with her.”

His nearly four-month stint in the District caught the attention of the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which is investigating Mr. Martin, as revealed in an email obtained by Reuters.

The focus of the probe wasn’t shared in the email, but Mr. Martin did complain to the D.C. Court of Appeals about confidentiality violations related to the investigation. 

Mr. Martin said Hamilton Fox, who is running the investigation, informed the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Division about the active probe. 

“It is an outrage how they treat us, and I will continue the fight against the weaponization of our law licenses against us,” Mr. Martin wrote in an email, according to Reuters. “I am taking on Mr. Fox head-on. His conduct is personally insulting and professionally unacceptable.”