Jeanine Pirro has used her TV platform to hammer the president’s critics and to ding his allies, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as insufficiently loyal. | Mike Theiler/AFP/Getty Images Trump dangled administration job to Judge Jeanine The president has discussed top jobs in front of the Fox News host, a longtime New York pal, who has expressed interest in leaving her cable-news perch for government.

Jeanine Pirro has a top-rated Fox News show and a forthcoming book — “Lies, Leakers, and Liberals” — but she still wants to be President Donald Trump’s attorney general.

A former prosecutor and judge, Pirro has repeatedly told Trump’s aides and advisers over the past 18 months that she’s interested in taking over as the nation’s top law enforcement official, according to four people familiar with the conversations.


Trump has dangled the possibility of giving her a top appointment. During a November meeting in the Oval Office, the president raised the possibility of nominating Pirro to a federal judgeship, according to a former administration official, though this person added that Trump was more likely engaging in flattery than seriously considering putting Pirro on the bench.

Pirro’s Fox News colleagues have laughed at her frequent mentions of the possibility of getting senior-level government work, according to one Fox employee. Two White House aides said they believe the president is not seriously considering bringing Pirro on to replace current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, despite Trump’s long-standing frustration with him.

But Pirro’s interest in a big administration job has nonetheless drawn notice. Trump, whose relationship with Pirro dates back decades, has demonstrated a penchant for bringing cable news stars into his administration — most recently tapping CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow to be his top economic adviser — and for making key personnel decisions without first consulting aides, including chief of staff John Kelly.

The White House declined to comment. Pirro did not respond to requests for comment.

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From the beginning of his presidency, Trump has often favored trusted friends and other political allies for key administration jobs over seasoned policy experts. People who know the president say he is drawn to those who reinforce his worldview and feed his ego.

“What he wants primarily is an audience. He really wants people who will wander into his office and pay attention while he spouts off,” said Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio.

The Trump administration has often struggled to attract top talent, with many veteran Republican operatives rebuffing offers of high-level jobs amid ongoing staff turmoil and the ever-expanding Russia investigation.

Pirro, though, is in a different category. From the outset of the administration, she has used her TV platform to hammer the president’s critics and to ding his allies, including Sessions, as insufficiently loyal. She recently described the attorney general as the biggest threat to the Trump agenda, calling him “the most dangerous man in America.”

Pirro first began talking with transition aides in late 2016 about joining the administration. Though she expressed interest in the attorney general job, when it became clear that job was going with Sessions, she began pushing for deputy attorney general, according to two Trump administration officials.

Transition aides also discussed tapping Pirro as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York — a prospect that the president-elect initially favored, though he was ultimately dissuaded by senior aides from making an offer.

Since then, the nexus between the White House and Fox News has grown ever closer, as has Trump’s relationship with Pirro. The two speak by phone frequently and Trump, according to one person close to him, watches almost every episode of her Saturday evening show, “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” sometimes calling in.

He also recently sat with Pirro for an interview for her book. And Pirro attended the opening last month of the American Embassy in Jerusalem at the White House’s invitation.

Pirro, who was elected Westchester County District Attorney in 1993, ran for New York’s Senate seat in 2006, challenging incumbent Hillary Clinton before abandoning the race. Later that year, she ran for New York attorney general, but lost to Andrew Cuomo.

She has defended Trump even when other Republicans have fallen silent, which has further endeared her to the president. Trump’s closest aides still recount her performance in the aftermath of the leaked "Access Hollywood" tape in which Trump was caught bragging about groping women.

“I have been involved in a million situations with him and his children,” she said of Trump on Fox News soon after the tape was released. “He has always been a gentleman.”