WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Thursday appointed Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to serve as Washington, D.C.'s interim U.S. attorney, after Ed Martin, the current interim job holder and Trump's first pick to hold the job on a permanent basis, failed to garner enough support to advance in the U.S. Senate.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump lauded Pirro's prior experience as an assistant district attorney in Westchester County, New York, and as a county judge.
"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. She excelled in all ways," he wrote.
Trump's announcement came just hours after he told reporters during a White House event that he would be withdrawing Martin's nomination due to a lack of support in the U.S. Senate for it to proceed.
"I was disappointed. A lot of people were disappointed, but that's the way it works sometimes," Trump said.
In a later post on Truth Social, Trump said Martin would move to a new role in the Justice Department.
"Ed Martin has done an AMAZING job as interim U.S. Attorney, and will be moving to the Department of Justice as the new Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney," Trump wrote. "In these highly important roles, Ed will make sure we finally investigate the Weaponization of our Government under the Biden Regime, and provide much needed Justice for its victims. Congratulations Ed!"
Martin, in an interview on Thursday evening before Trump announced his new role, said that he knew taking the interim U.S. attorney job before being confirmed was a "gamble," but that he had decided to take the risk and bet on himself.
"It's an incredible office with incredibly talented people," he said. "It's been a really wonderful experience."
A source close to the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week said the committee would not move forward with a vote before Martin's interim term expires on May 20.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who sits on the committee, appeared to deal Martin's nomination a fatal blow when he told reporters at the Capitol that he could not support him because of Martin's views about the January 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters.
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the panel, said he was "relieved" that the nomination was withdrawn and that "Martin's record made it clear that he does not have the temperament or judgment" for the top U.S. law enforcement job for the nation's capital.
Martin faced opposition over his conduct in office, political advocacy and support for people who took part in the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
His tenure has been marked by Trump's sweeping pardons for nearly all of the January 6 participants, firings and demotions of career prosecutors who worked on those investigations and unusual public threats to investigate people - including members of Congress - who have opposed the Trump administration's agenda.
When asked if he had any regrets about his unusual actions, Martin said he measured his success by the things he accomplished, such as increasing the number of prosecutions for firearm offenses, though he acknowledged being different from his predecessors.
"I think we did it a little differently, and we did it with some energy that we needed...and I think it's effective," he said.
Martin previously defended three former January 6 defendants in court and was a supporter of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen through voter fraud.
He also faced criticism from Democrats over his ties to Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, an Army reservist convicted of storming the Capitol whom prosecutors described as a Nazi sympathizer, a claim that Hale-Cusanelli's lawyer denied.
California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who placed a hold on Martin's nomination, said on Thursday that Martin had abused his position.
“Ed Martin is unfit to practice law, let alone serve as a United States Attorney," he said in a statement.
Pirro is likely to face questions from Senate Democrats over her prominent role in a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over claims spread on her show and others on Fox News that the company helped rig the 2020 election against Trump.
Fox News settled the lawsuit for $787 million in 2023.
Pirro was also reportedly suspended by the network in 2019 after suggesting that Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar’s Muslim faith may conflict with the U.S. Constitution.
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