She is not the only one, but Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the nation’s capital, is in huge trouble. Her office has been aggressively seeking draconian punishments for everyone charged with assaulting federal officers, or with threatening President Donald Trump. Appointed by Trump himself, Pirro’s office hasn’t escaped the recent wave of major losing streaks in high-profile cases that have attracted national media scrutiny.
One well-publicized instance of this was the case of Jacob Winkler. He was charged with intentionally pointing an unauthorized red laser pointer at Marine One shortly after its departure from the White House. Winkler’s arrest in September led to statewide protests. After more than 30 minutes’ deliberation, a jury in Washington, D.C., found him not guilty. This acquittal is yet another loss for Pirro, whose office has had difficulty getting convictions in other such cases.
The U.S. attorney’s office, then led by Pirro, has brought several federal cases against local residents. They’re accusing assaults on federal officers and threats to Trump. The results have not been favorable. This past week, the office suffered a major defeat in the case of Sean Charles Dunn. Instead, he threw a Subway-style sandwich at a federal agent. Dunn took the opportunity to air his grievances about law enforcement, yelling at one point, “What the hell are you doing? I don’t want you in my city!”
Despite these challenges, Pirro’s office has been undeterred, continuing to seek these types of cases. Detractors have criticized the lack of resources, especially for enforcement. One leading critic termed it a shameful waste of valuable federal resources. They took an otherwise harmless homeless man, who only had a cat toy keychain to his name, and made him a felon. Another expressed the need for a shift in focus: “Every hour spent on this case was an hour not spent addressing real threats to our community. It’s time to end the criminalization of poverty and invest in people’s dignity.”
As the U.S. attorney for D.C, the position Pirro will assume leads an important role. Through prosecuting individual cases this way, he reinforces public safety and protects the rule of law. Her recent losses in court have sparked discussions about the effectiveness of her approach and the priorities of her office.
At the time of publication, Pirro’s office did not return requests for comment. This encompasses questions around the recent acquittals and what this means for current and future prosecutions.