Jeanine Pirro expected to advance as DC US Attorney
WASHINGTON - Former FOX News host Jeanine Pirro is likely to move forward as the US attorney for the District of Columbia following a vote Senate Judiciary Committee vote Thursday.
What we know:
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told Bloomberg Law that he plans to support Pirro – who will likely have enough votes to move forward as D.C. U.S. Attorney.
"She demonstrated to me that she understands the management side of her role, and getting the most out of prosecutors that she said are top notch," Tillis told Bloomberg Law.
Why you should care:
Tillis recently said in an interview with CNN that "if there is anyone coming up for a nomination through any committee of my jurisdiction that excused January 6, that they’re not going to get confirmed in my remaining tenure in the US Senate."
"I still call those people who got pardoned by the president thugs," he said. "There are about 200-300 people that should be behind bars now for what they did on Jan. 6."
Senator Dick Durbin called for the committee to reject Pirro's nomination, calling her a "January 6 apologist, siding with violent insurrectionists over law enforcement by supporting criminal charges against line prosecutors handling insurrection-related cases."
What's next:
If Pirro is advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, the nomination if sent to the Senate floor for consideration.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in May that he planned to slow down Justice Department nominees over President Donald Trump's plans to accept a $400 million private jet from Qatar "until we get more answers."
The backstory:
Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, co-hosted the network’s show "The Five" on weekday evenings. She was elected as a judge in New York’s Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county’s elected district attorney.
In May, the president called her a "powerful crusader for victims of crime."
Trump tapped Pirro after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. for the position. Trump withdrew Martin from consideration after Tillis said he could not support Martin for the job due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Pirro is the latest in a string of Trump appointments coming from Fox News — a list that includes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who co-hosted "Fox & Friends Weekend."