The Senate on Aug. 2 confirmed former Fox News host and political commentator Jeanine Pirro to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
The vote fell along party lines, with 50 Republicans supporting Pirro’s confirmation, and 45 Democrats voting against it. Three Republicans and two Democrats did not vote.
Pirro previously worked as a judge and a district attorney in Westchester County, New York.
“Her record is remarkable. She spent 27 years prosecuting criminals and another three as a judge. In those three decades, Ms. Pirro gained a reputation for fierce advocacy against domestic abuse and crime against children,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said ahead of the vote.
Following her time as a prosecutor and judge in Westchester County, Pirro launched a media career with the eponymous “Judge Jeanine Pirro” arbitration-based reality court show on the CW Network. She later became a regular on Fox News, including leading 10 seasons of “Justice with Judge Jeanine” and co-hosting “The Five.”
Throughout her Fox News tenure, Pirro frequently interviewed President Donald Trump.
Trump named Pirro as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia in May after withdrawing his nomination for Ed Martin Jr. to serve in the federal prosecutor post. The president nominated Pirro in June for a full term.
On July 17, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Pirro’s nomination, while also advancing Emil Bove to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The procedural vote on Bove was 12–0, as Democrats on the committee walked out in protest.
Ahead of the Aug. 2 vote, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) denounced Pirro as unfit for the role. Blumenthal accused Pirro of making Islamophobic statements and false claims about the outcome of the 2020 election.
Grassley defended Pirro.
“You may hear my Democrat colleagues criticize Ms. Pirro for some of her colorful remarks during her time as a TV personality. Yes, she has a larger-than-life personality, but she has decades of distinguished record as a prosecutor and judge,” the Iowa Republican said.
Pirro is one of several Fox News personalities Trump has nominated in his second presidential term, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was also a political commentator for the network.
Following the vote, Pirro thanked her supporters.
“Thank you to those senators who supported my confirmation and DC- get ready for a real crime fighter,” Pirro said in an X post.
On Aug. 2, the Senate also voted to confirm John Arrigo to serve as the next ambassador to Portugal, Sean Cairncross to lead the Office of the National Cyber Director, Adam Telle to serve as the assistant secretary of the Army, and Marcus Molinaro to serve as the next federal transit administrator.
The Senate broke for its summer recess on the evening of Aug. 2 without a deal to clear dozens more of Trump’s nominees.
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