Jeanine Pirro tells ‘Pod Force One’ that DC’s lax crime laws must be axed

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro has been vocal about her concerns regarding crime and leniency in Washington, DC. She recently spoke with The Post’s Miranda Devine about the need for changes in local laws to hold young offenders accountable for serious crimes. Pirro specifically called out the DC Council for passing laws that make it difficult for prosecutors to seek appropriate sentences for criminals.

One of the laws Pirro mentioned was the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act, which provides sentencing alternatives for young adult offenders under 22 years of age. She shared a troubling example of a 19-year-old who was involved in a shooting incident on a public bus but was only given probation due to this law.

Despite these challenges, Pirro highlighted a drop in crime rates in DC since President Trump’s federal takeover of police and the deployment of the National Guard. She mentioned that the homicide rate has decreased significantly since the surge in police presence, attributing the improvement to the federal assistance.

However, Pirro also pointed out governance issues in DC that have hindered the prosecution of criminal cases. She mentioned a high-profile mugging incident involving a former Department of Government Efficiency employee, where young offenders were involved but ultimately faced lenient sentences due to jurisdictional limitations.

Furthermore, Pirro expressed concerns about maintaining an objective jury pool in DC, where a significant percentage of voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. She shared a case where a former Department of Justice employee threw a sandwich at a federal officer, but the grand jury dismissed the case.

Overall, Pirro emphasized the need for changes in DC’s laws and judicial system to ensure that criminals are held accountable for their actions. She called for lowering the age of accountability and addressing lenient sentencing practices that allow offenders to escape serious consequences. Despite the challenges, Pirro remains committed to seeking justice and improving public safety in Washington, DC. Judge Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host who now serves as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, recently spoke out about the challenges she faces in prosecuting criminal cases in the nation’s capital. In a recent interview, Pirro expressed frustration with the grand jury process, stating that she has faced unnecessary questions about the surge in crime rather than focusing on the evidence at hand.

“We put in the evidence, the case was solid, it was all there, and we’ll get questions like from grand jurors, ‘Is this part of the surge?’ Wait a minute, that’s none of your business. That is not the issue here. The issue is, is this a crime where we have met the elements of the statute?” Pirro said.

Pirro also criticized the Biden administration and her predecessor, DC US Attorney Matthew Graves, for their approach to prosecuting criminals. She claimed that during the Biden administration, the US Attorney’s office in DC was not supporting the police in filing charges, leading to a situation where 60% of arrests made by the Metropolitan Police Department did not result in charges being filed.

“During the Biden Administration, this office was not supporting the police in terms of actually filing charges. So, at one point, 60% of the arrests made by the Metropolitan Police Department here in DC, they were not filing charges. The police would arrest, and the Biden people wouldn’t prosecute them,” Pirro stated.

Graves, who declined to bring charges in 67% of cases following an arrest in fiscal year 2022, defended his decision by citing the loss of certification at DC’s crime lab. Despite the challenges she faces, Pirro expressed her commitment to seeking justice for victims and holding abusers accountable.

“To me, the victim is a victim. The abuser is not the victim. To me, it’s time to settle the scores, to make things right, and that’s why I’m here,” Pirro said.

Since leaving her position at Fox News to take on the role of US Attorney, Pirro has embraced her roots as a prosecutor and is determined to make a difference in the fight against crime in Washington, DC. Her dedication to upholding the law and seeking justice for victims underscores her passion for serving the public good.