The US Attorney's Office for Washington, led by former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, reportedly selected two lawyers with minimal federal prosecution experience to lead a potential case against six Democratic lawmakers. The attempt failed this week when a grand jury declined to bring an indictment.
According to Bloomberg Law, Pirro tapped attorneys Steven Vandervelden and Carlton Davis. Vandervelden had no prior Department of Justice background, though he worked alongside Pirro as a local prosecutor in Westchester County, New York. He reportedly maintained an active photography studio during the prosecution. Davis briefly served as an assistant US attorney in Virginia and worked for House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer.
Pirro's office defended both officials, stating that Vandervelden is "one of the best prosecutors and best investigators" she has worked with, and that Davis has been an "investigator at the highest levels of our government." The case against the Democrats stemmed from a November video urging service members to ignore illegal orders from the Trump administration.
Senator Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and naval officer targeted in the case, called the reported grand jury process an "outrageous abuse of power." He said, "It wasn't enough for Pete Hegseth to censure me and threaten to demote me, now it appears they tried to have me charged with a crime."
Failures to secure federal grand jury indictments in high-profile cases are rare, but the Trump administration has faced multiple setbacks. Since Trump took office, over 5,000 DOJ officials have quit, taken buyouts, or been fired. Pirro's office alone lost at least 90 prosecutors. The administration also failed to secure charges in other cases, including a protester who threw a sandwich at a federal officer.
