Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tells reporters U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s future is “President Trump’s call” after Reflecting Pool case remarks

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday declined to answer questions about U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro’s future, telling reporters that any decision is for President Donald Trump. Asked about Pirro’s position, Blanche said, “That’s his call,” shifting the question from the Justice Department to the president’s authority over federal prosecutors appointed by the administration.

Blanche also spoke to questions about Pirro’s performance and the posture of the Reflecting Pool matter, a federal case that has been central to public scrutiny of the U.S. Attorney’s office. Blanche said, “Judge Pirro is doing a great job,” according to The Hill’s account of his remarks to reporters.

The comments came one day after Trump told reporters he had not “made a determination” regarding Pirro, framing the question as unresolved from the White House. The Hill reported that Blanche’s response effectively deferred to that ongoing presidential decision-making process.

Blanche’s Wednesday remarks also placed him in a role of clarifying boundaries inside the Justice Department while acknowledging his own prior relationship to the president. The Hill reported that Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, and his decision to avoid commenting on Pirro’s status underscored that he was not presenting himself as the final authority on her tenure.

The practical effect of Blanche’s position is to keep any personnel outcome tied to the president rather than a department-level assessment or a Justice Department announcement. While the Justice Department can supervise broad prosecutorial policy and federal law enforcement priorities, the U.S. attorney’s continuation and leadership decisions are generally treated as part of the administration’s appointment and oversight framework, with the White House controlling executive-branch staffing decisions.

No action by the Justice Department or the White House was reported in The Hill’s account beyond Blanche’s stated deferral and the reference to Trump’s lack of a determination. The report likewise did not describe any new court filings, prosecutorial milestones, or administrative steps directly changing Pirro’s status at the time of Blanche’s comments.

With Blanche directing questions back to the White House and Trump indicating the matter remained unsettled, the next step for the case and for office leadership would be whatever decision Trump reaches and whatever process follows from that decision, including any formal announcement or transition affecting the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.