Jeanine Pirro Declines to Answer Hypothetical on Prosecuting Trump for Shooting
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, reportedly refused to answer when asked if she would prosecute President Donald Trump if he shot somebody in a public setting. The exchange occurred during a recent interview with New York Magazine correspondent Ben Terris, who posed the question while Pirro's spokesperson, Tim Lauer, was present.
Reference to Trump's Infamous 2016 Claim
Terris specifically referenced Trump's 2016 statement where the president claimed he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" and still not lose voters. Adapting this to Washington D.C., Terris asked Pirro: "If Donald Trump were to shoot someone in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, would you prosecute him?"
According to the report, Pirro initially responded by saying "I'll use Donald Trump's own words," before turning to her spokesperson. Lauer intervened, stating: "This should focus on our office and our work. I don't know we should be getting into hypotheticals."
After a brief exchange where Pirro asked Lauer if he knew what she was going to say, and he confirmed he did while adding "It's off the record, and you're not using it," Pirro ultimately declined to answer the question.
Speculation About Attorney General Ambitions
The refusal comes amid speculation from sources cited by New York Magazine that Pirro is positioning herself to become Trump's next attorney general, following Pam Bondi's firing from the role. One source told the magazine: "The judge is very close to the president, talks to him all the time. And she'd been trying to put the knife in Bondi, saying she's not a prosecutor and doesn't have control of the building."
When asked whether Pirro is a contender to replace Bondi, Trump reportedly described both as "great people." Pirro has denied having ambitions for the attorney general position, according to the report.
Controversial Tenure as U.S. Attorney
Pirro, a 74-year-old former judge, prosecutor, and Fox News personality, was appointed by Trump to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington D.C. last year. Her tenure has been marked by several controversial episodes and prosecutorial setbacks:
- In February, a grand jury reportedly rejected her office's attempt to indict Democratic lawmakers who created a video urging military and intelligence members to refuse illegal orders.
- Her office repeatedly failed to secure criminal indictments related to the Trump administration's federal takeover of Washington D.C., which involved increased federal law enforcement and National Guard presence.
- Prosecutors failed to obtain a felony charge against a man accused of throwing a sandwich at a federal agent last summer. The case, which gained national attention, resulted in the charge being downgraded and the defendant being acquitted of misdemeanor assault.
- Federal prosecutors could not persuade three different grand juries to indict Sydney Reid on felony charges for allegedly assaulting an FBI agent. The case was reduced to a single misdemeanor charge, and Reid was acquitted after a brief trial.
The Independent has contacted Pirro's office for comment regarding these matters and the hypothetical question about prosecuting Trump.
