U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro spoke about a drop in crime rates since President Trump took the reins of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C. However, she criticized the “liberal-left” City Council for being too lenient with criminals.
During a recent episode of “Pod Force One,” Pirro, a prosecutor appointed by Trump, expressed a desire for changes in local laws to better hold young offenders accountable for serious crimes. She mentioned this to The Post’s Miranda Devine, who humorously noted that the council and the liberal agenda are essentially one and the same.
“They implemented a law that makes it nearly impossible for me to secure appropriate sentencing,” Pirro stated.
She pointed to various lenient crime laws in D.C., such as the Incarceration Reduction Act and the Youth Rehabilitation Amendments Act, which provide alternatives to incarceration for offenders under 22.
For instance, a 19-year-old caught with an illegal firearm could, under current laws, be given probation instead of jail time, according to Pirro. She expressed disbelief over this possibility, arguing that if someone commits such a serious act, they should face jail time—not a free pass.
Recent efforts in Congress aim to prevent the Republican-led House from passing a bill this summer to overturn these lenient juvenile crime laws in D.C., although the proposed changes still need Senate approval.
“We need to reconsider the age limits and repeal certain laws, as well as address the judges who release offenders believing they’re doing the right thing,” Pirro explained.
Despite some challenges, she noted an improvement in the overall crime situation since Trump introduced federal oversight and deployed the National Guard in the summer. The Metropolitan Police Department reported a significant drop in murders over the years: 274 in 2023, a projected 187 in 2024, and only 122 so far in 2025.
“The murder rate keeps decreasing, and since that spike in violence earlier this year, it’s down by 67%,” she added.
Last year, Washington, D.C., was noted for having the fourth-highest per-capita homicide rate among U.S. cities, according to a report from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives.
Additionally, Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged Trump’s support in August and later issued an indefinite order requiring local law enforcement to work with federal authorities as much as possible.
In lighter news, former City Council member Trayon White faces bribery charges stemming from the prior Pirro administration but was recently re-elected despite the allegations.
Moreover, there are ongoing governance issues complicating prosecutors’ efforts to handle assault cases, such as a notable robbery involving Edward Coristine, formerly of the Department of Government Efficiency. Pirro recalled hearing from a girl who was attacked during the incident, emphasizing the young ages of the offenders, which led to the case being redirected to family court —something she found perplexing.
This specific case ended with probation for the involved teenage offenders, raising further concerns about accountability in the current judicial climate.
Pirro also expressed frustrations about potential biases in jury pools, considering that only a small fraction of voters in D.C. supported Trump in the last election. This adds additional challenges to pursuing justice in various cases, even going so far as to critique a lawsuit involving a former Justice Department official who faced no charges after an unusual incident.
She attributed some of the troubles to the Biden administration and D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, who has been criticized for not adequately supporting police prosecutions.
“At one point, around 60% of arrests by the Metropolitan Police here in D.C. never made it to prosecution,” she noted, indicating significant breakdowns in the system.
Graves defended his decision to not pursue charges in 67% of cases after arrests in 2022 but attributed it to issues like the local crime lab losing its accreditation.
Now, happily back in a prosecutorial role after leaving her former position at Fox News, Pirro summarized her stance with a clear message: victims deserve justice, and it’s time for accountability to take precedence.
