Former Fox News anchor Jeanine Pirro began her temporary position as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia by announcing the most recent criminal charge and sentencing in Washington, D.C.
The sentence for two guys who carried out a drive-by shooting near an elementary school in D.C. in broad daylight was revealed by Pirro on Wednesday evening, the same day she took office, the Washington Examiner noted.
Due to their involvement in the April 2024 shooting, Rasheed Mullins, 27, and Josiah Warfield, 24, were both given sentences exceeding seven years in federal prison. Mullins was sentenced to 90 months and Warfield to 100 months; both were then had to serve five years of supervised release. Earlier this year, both individuals entered guilty pleas to assault with intent to murder while armed.
Her office also announced on Thursday that Te’Vaughn Brown, 20, has been indicted for felony assault on a senior person prior to a Nationals baseball game in August of last year, with a trial scheduled for July 14.
“Congratulations Judge Jeanine who will soon make DC Great Again!” Sergi Gor, the Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House, stated this on social media.
“I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” the president said on Truth Social. “Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York. She is in a class by herself. Congratulations Jeanine!”
Her employer, Fox News, responded quickly to the announcement.
“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 the news organization said.
It came after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis blocked the nomination of the previous interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, from being confirmed.
The senator said he met with the nominee to alleviate some concerns, but those concerns lingered on Tuesday when he spoke to CNN reporter Manu Raju.
“At this point, I’ve indicated to the White House I wouldn’t support his nomination,” the senator said.
“Most of my concerns relate to Jan. 6,” he said. “I think that anybody that breached the perimeter should have been imprisoned for some period of time, whether it’s 30 days or three years is debatable but I have no tolerance for anybody who entered the building on Jan. 6 and that’s probably where most of the friction was.”
The senator indicated that Martin believed that some of the people who were prosecuted for crimes related to January 6, 2021 were overcharged.
“We have to be very, very clear that what happened on Jan. 6 was wrong,” the senator said.
“It was not prompted or created by other people to put those people in trouble. They made a stupid decision and they disgraced the United States by absolutely destroying the Capitol,” he said.
“Mr. Martin did a good job of explaining the one area that I think he’s probably right, that there were some people that were over-prosecuted, but there were some, 200 or 300 of them that should have never gotten a pardon,” he said. “If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protest happened, I’d probably support him, but not in this district.”
A familiar face could potentially fill her spot on Fox News.
A White House source said that Alina Habba, the former attorney for President Donald Trump who is serving as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, is being eyed to replace Pirro as a host on “The Five,” The Daily Mail reported.
The report said that Habba is considering taking the job and avoiding the confirmation process to become the full-time US Attorney for New Jersey.