US Muslim group urges Trump to rescind Jeanine Pirro's appointment as DC attorney

By Merve Aydogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called Monday on US President Donald Trump to rescind the appointment of former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim US attorney for the District of Columbia.

In a statement, CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights group, said Pirro's history of anti-Muslim rhetoric raises serious concerns about her ability to serve in one of the most critical federal law enforcement roles in the country.

"Appointing an infamous anti-Muslim bigot like Jeanine Pirro to one of the nation’s top federal law enforcement posts calls into question the application of equal justice to members of minority communities," the group said.

CAIR cited past incidents, including Pirro's 2019 remarks about Rep. Ilhan Omar's hijab, where she questioned whether Omar's religious attire indicated adherence to Islamic law and thus opposition to the US Constitution.

The comments drew widespread condemnation and led to her three-week suspension from Fox News, though Pirro did not issue an apology.

Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative has also documented Pirro's repeated use of anti-Muslim tropes and misinformation.

CAIR urged Trump to nominate someone "without such a clear history of bigotry and bias" to the post, which plays a key role in prosecuting federal crimes in the nation's capital.