Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the decision regarding the future of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is up to President Donald Trump [1].
The situation follows Pirro's decision to drop criminal charges against a man accused of vandalizing the liner of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. [1, 2]. This move has created a public rift between the U.S. Attorney's office and the administration, raising questions about prosecutorial independence and political loyalty.
President Trump criticized the decision to drop the charges, saying that Pirro "folded like an umbrella" in the Reflecting Pool case [3]. This public rebuke suggests a lack of confidence in the legal strategy employed by the District of Columbia office.
When asked about Pirro's job security, Blanche avoided committing to a specific outcome. He said that the president possesses the authority to remove a U.S. attorney if he chooses to do so [1].
"Hypothetically if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, turns out he's allowed to do that because he's the president of the United States," Blanche said [1].
Blanche said that the final determination on Pirro's tenure remains with the president, adding, "That's his call" [2].
The briefing involving Blanche also touched on broader administration priorities, including a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund [4]. However, the focus remained heavily on the internal friction regarding the Reflecting Pool case and the limits of the Acting Attorney General's influence over presidential appointments.
Pirro's decision to abandon the vandalism charges has become a flashpoint for the administration's view on law and order, particularly concerning the protection of national monuments [2].
“"That's his call."”
This development highlights a tension between the Department of Justice's operational decisions and the political expectations of the White House. By deferring to the president, Blanche is acknowledging the direct appointment power of the executive branch over U.S. Attorneys, suggesting that legal decisions that appear 'weak' to the president may carry professional risks for federal prosecutors.
