In a surprising twist, Fox News offered minimal commentary on former President Donald Trump’s recent public critique of Jeanine Pirro, a former prominent figure at the network, during an Oval Office press event.
Pirro, once a familiar face as the host of “Justice with Judge Jeanine” and as one of the regulars on “The Five,” now serves as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Her transition from television to a significant role in the Trump administration marked a noteworthy career shift.
Trump brought Pirro into his team last year, after his preferred candidate, Ed Martin, failed to secure confirmation amidst resistance from Republican senators. This appointment reflected Trump’s continued trust in familiar media personalities.
However, Pirro’s performance in this role has faced heavy criticism. Her inability to prosecute Trump’s political adversaries—despite his strong pushes for action—has been a notable downside. Among her setbacks was the failure to bring charges against former Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell concerning alleged fiscal misconduct.
Additionally, Pirro could not secure indictments against six Democratic lawmakers who published a video urging U.S. military members to disobey illegal orders. This series of unfulfilled prosecutorial actions has sparked discussions about her effectiveness in the position.
And prosecutors under her watch likewise failed to indict vocal Trump critic New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged bank fraud and alleged false statements regarding a property purchase.
Most recently, Pirro’s office dismissed its case against 67-year-old former Olympic Canoeist David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
Trump expressed his exasperation during a presser on Monday and said in a raised voice: ‘I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro… She folded like an umbrella. And people get away with things, and it’s a disgrace.’
Trump expressed his outrage with US Attorney and former Fox News star host Jeanine Pirro during an Oval Office press conference. Fox provided notably little coverage of his comments
Pirro moved to dismiss a case that accused people of vandalising the Reflecting Pool after investigations determined damage was the result of a botched installation
David Hearn (pictured), the former Olympian accused of vandalizing Trump’s restored Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, had his charges dismissed
Pirro moved to drop all charges against Hearn in a 20-page court filing that revealed investigations into the pool determined the damage was the result of a ‘flawed installation by the contractor’ and ‘the rush to complete the project’ in time for Trump’s America 250 celebration.
‘Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,’ the filing states.
But Trump has maintained, without evidence, that the damage to the reflecting pool was indeed caused by vandals. ‘Jeanine Pirro made a mistake. There was vandalism,’ he said at the press conference.
Fox News covered and aired the press conference live, but did not replay the president’s critical comments aimed at the network’s former host until a few hours later, unlike its liberal counterparts CNN and MS NOW. CNN also did not air the presser in full.
Anchors Sandra Smith and John Roberts instead segued into a discussion about Iran, followed by WNBA players’ remarks about transgender athletes and coverage of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s policies.
The live press conference concluded around 2.40pm, and it was only around three hours and 20 minutes later that Fox mentioned Trump’s critical comments towards Pirro.
Around 6pm ET during Special Report with Bret Baier, Trace Gallagher, who was sitting in for Baier, teed up Fox correspondent Lucas Tomlinson to discuss Trump’s comments and said: ‘The president had some tough words for his US Attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro.’
Tomlinson replied: ‘He sure did, Trace. Today in the Oval Office, President Trump said Jeanine Pirro “folded like an umbrella” after she dropped charges against three individuals with connections to the vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including former Olympic canoeist David Hearn.’
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is pictured drained for repairs. Trump has maintained, without evidence, that the damage to the pool was caused by vandals
The Reflecting Pool renovations were completed on June 6, but algae blooms started appearing and the paint started peeling less than two weeks later
The segment then cut to a clip from the presser when Trump said Pirro ‘choked’ and that a judge was ‘extremely unfriendly’ and ‘went after her and went after her department.’
‘Pirro’s office said there’s no evidence of vandalism, instead calling it “a botched installation,”‘ Tomlinson then said.
The network provided no other coverage or discussion about the president’s criticism for the rest of the day.
Hearn told the Daily Mail last month that his arrest and the charges were a farce intended to boost a false narrative as he shared an image of the pool’s damaged facade.
‘It’s a completely unfounded accusation. It’s a lie,’ Hearn said over the phone. ‘I didn’t rip, tear, destruct, destroy, or harm in any way, any part of the reflecting pool.’
Hearn admitted to touching a ‘loose flap of coating,’ but claimed he did so purely because he was ‘curious as a concerned citizen.’
Trump championed a $16 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool as part of his goal to beautify Washington DC ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
But less than two weeks after the project was completed, the newly refinished paint job began peeling, and algae blooms turned the water green. Trump soon admitted that the pool may need to be drained for repairs.
Investigations showed the damage was the result of a ‘flawed installation by the contractor.’ Hearn shared this photo he took of the pool’s peeling lining with the Daily Mail
Hearn claimed that the Trump administration was trying to build a false narrative that issues with the Reflecting Pool were due to vandalism. Workers are pictured cleaning the pool
‘They clearly wanted a news story that they could promote that was centered around vandals damaging the reflecting pool,’ Hearn said, adamant he did nothing wrong.
‘Officers were ready to arrest me and other people they found who they could have some contrived basis of charges on to accuse them of vandalism,’ Hearn said.
Hearn pleaded not guilty last month to one felony count of property destruction and had a trial scheduled to start September 28 in DC Superior Court before the case was dismissed.
He was facing a maximum prison sentence of 10 years if convicted, as he was accused of causing at least $1,000 in damage to the pool.