Jeanine Pirro

Pirro speaking at CPAC 2017 in National Harbor , Maryland .

Jeanine Ferris Pirro (born June 2, 1951 in Elmira , New York ) is an American television personality, former judge , prosecutor and Republican politician in the US state of New York.

She was the first female judge in Westchester County Court near New York City . She was then also elected the first woman to be a District Attorney for Westchester County. Above all, she attracted attention for her work against domestic violence and crime against the elderly . In 2006, Pirro did not want to run for the Republican Party until the election to the US Senate against the Democrat Hillary Clinton , but decided before the start of the primaries to run as Attorney General in New York State. She lost the election with 39.3% to 58.3%, against her Democratic opponent Andrew Cuomo , the later governor of the state.

Personal

family

Pirro was born in June 1951 as the first and only child in Elmira, Chemung County . Her parents Esther and Nasser Ferris are first generation Lebanese born in the USA . Her mother worked as a department store model and her father as a salesman. Pirro claims that she wanted to become a lawyer when she was six .

education

Pirro completed the Notre Dame High School in Elmira, and first made its Bachelor in Law at the University at Buffalo and then her JD at the Albany Law School of Union University . During her studies she was the editor of law reviews. Pirro is a practicing Catholic .

Westchester County

Assistant District Attorney

In 1975, Carl Vergari, then Westchester County's District Attorney, appointed Pirro to be his assistant. She wrote appeals and appeals and even handled minor cases. In 1977 she advocated that domestic violence should no longer be tried before the family court , but before a criminal court . She convinced Vergari and in the same year this project was regulated by a new law in New York State. In 1978 Vergari nominated Pirro to head the Office for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse. She was known for her aggressive demeanor during this time. Due to the frequent coercion of the perpetrators against victims, Pirro pursued the consistent policy of never dropping charges at the request of a victim.

She was widely praised for her passion, but had to take criticism from many colleagues for breaking with many common traditions and behavioral norms. She was also accused of attentive behavior, among other things. Her boss at the time, Vergari, then spoke to her about her violation of the usual office policy of a district attorney. Among other things, Pirro issued official press releases at the time only with her own name and without Vergari's name. Their relationship with Vergari finally broke up in the late 1980s, when Pirro assumed sole responsibility for the establishment of the Office for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse.

On June 1, 1990, just five months before Pirro's candidacy for Westchester County Court, she received widespread attention and some criticism for speeding up a prosecution against Maria Amaya while she was in intensive care. Amaya was charged with the murder of her four children. She was a 36-year-old immigrant from El Salvador and had previously been treated in a psychiatric hospital. It was after the murder of their children at the intensive care unit because she tried after the fact suicide to commit. Amaya thought it was lawful to kill her children as they were corrupted by drugs and sex .

Vergari was her supervisor throughout her tenure as Assistant District Attorney . In 1999 he praised her as “intelligent and competent”, but also criticized her as “very self-centered in everything she does”.

judge

In November 1990, she became a judge in Westchester County Court ( Court selected). She stood in the election for the Republican Party and the Conservative Party and prevailed against the Democrat Lawrence D. Lenihan. On her inauguration on January 1, 1991, she became the first female judge in Westchester County Court, New York.

District Attorney

In November 1993, Pirro was elected to succeed Carl Vergari as District Attorney of Westchester County, also as the first woman in her county. She was confirmed in office in 1997 and 2001 and did not want to run for a fourth term in 2005.

On December 31, 1993, during Pirro's midnight inuguration, the heiress of the EW Scripps Company , Anne Scripps Douglas , was killed with a brutal hammer blow to the skull after an argument with her husband Scott Douglas . The husband committed the act while his wife slept in their Bronxville home . When the police arrived, the perpetrator had disappeared and after a few hours his BMW was found on the Tappan Zee Bridge . His wife died six days later in hospital as a result of her skull injury . Jeanine Pirro, known for her passion in domestic violence cases, enjoyed frequent media presence for this act that overshadowed the beginning of her term in office. It was not until three months later that the perpetrator's body was found and identified in the Hudson River . During this time, Pirro gained national fame and became a regular guest on American television. B. during OJ Simpson's arrest for the alleged murder of his ex-wife. During this time she appeared on the shows Nightline , Larry King Live and Geraldo .

During the first few months of her tenure, Pirro made a costly renovation of her office and added an additional floor to the courthouse with a new kitchenette and media room for $ 20,000. She had her personal office furnished with mahogany wood .

Pirro was the first woman to serve as chair of the New York District Attorney Association. She was also appointed to the committee by then Governor George Pataki as Chairwoman of the New York Committee on Domestic Violence. The work of the commission and its recommendations enabled the judiciary to provide better protection for victims of domestic violence.

Throughout her tenure, Pirro repeatedly refused to reopen the murder trial against Jeffrey Deskovic . In 1990, Deskovic was - as it later turned out - wrongly convicted of the murder of a 15-year-old girl. He spent 16 years in prison until his trial was restarted and a DNA test proved his innocence. Deskovic sees Pirro as the culprit for his long, innocent time in prison.

Political career

Vice-governor candidacy in 1986

On May 26, 1986, Pirro - then Assistant District Attorney - announced that he would run as the running mate of the Republican candidate for the New York gubernatorial election of 1986 - Andrew O'Rourke . She was chosen by O'Rourke after nearly a dozen other people turned him down. She was not the first choice because of her Italian name acquired through marriage , her existence as a woman and little experience.

Many New York Republicans were extremely unhappy with this election. The then Minority Leader of the New York Senate stated that Pirro had no political experience or national stature. It was also criticized that both candidates come from Westchester County and are not addressed in this way, as Republicans in New York state traditionally have a hard time.

On May 28, 1986, just one day before Andrew O'Rourke's running mate area code , Pirro announced at the Republican convention in New York that he no longer wanted to run; she justified this with business of her husband, who did a lot of business in New York State and was often associated with the Mafia . These circumstances made it simply impossible for her to serve as lieutenant governor. Pirro informed the other candidates on the eve of May 27, 1986. Only six hours after their departure was announced, Pirro was replaced by Michael Kavanagh, the then District Attorney of Ulster County .

Senate election 2006

On August 10, 2005, Jeanine Pirro announced that she would run in the US Senate election in New York State as a Republican first in the primaries and then against the incumbent Democratic Senator in first term, Hillary Clinton . Other Republicans running in the primary include John Spencer , former Mayor of Yonkers , William Brenner , a Sullivan County attorney , and Attorney General Edward Cox , son-in-law of former US President Richard Nixon . During her inaugural address, Pirro made a faux pas because, while she could not find the tenth page of her prepared speech, she had to take a 32-second pause. This damaged their campaign even before it really started.

During a speech at the Crime Victims Resource Center, Pirro described himself as follows: “I am red (color of the Republican Party ) on tax policy. I am conservative and support the Bush Tax Cut, ”she added,“ I have wide blue stripes ( Democratic Party color ) on social issues…. I'm a moderate woman from New York. ”The then Republican governor supported Pirro after Cox was eliminated from the race, and from then on he saw Pirro as the most suitable candidate. Donors for Pirro's Senate campaign included the designer Tommy Hilfiger , the billionaire and real estate mogul as well as later US President Donald Trump and some of her husband's business partners.

On December 21, 2005, Pirro gave up her candidacy. This happened as a result of high pressure from the party leaders. The decision was made because there were hardly any donations left for their campaign and numerous polls showed that Clinton would easily defeat Pirro (62% to 30%). John Spencer became the party's final candidate. Spencer clearly lost 31% to 67% of incumbent Clinton.

New York State Attorney election 2006

On May 31, 2006, Pirro was nominated as a Republican candidate for the state Attorney for New York. Pirro lost the election to their Democratic opponent Andrew Cuomo , who later became governor of the state, with 39:58%.

Private life

In later life she returned to the private sector and started a new career in television .

In 1997, Pirro was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in America by People magazine .

marriage

In 1975 Jeanine Ferris married Albert Pirro from Mount Vernon . They met at law school . They have a son and a daughter together. After the wedding , the couple moved to their place of work in Harrison while he was a lobbyist .

In the late 1990s , Albert Pirro became a powerful lobbyist, Republican benefactor, and partner of future President Donald Trump . He described him as "incredibly intelligent and effective" and said "There is no one like him". Albert Pirro's specialty was governing local affairs and permits in Westchester . He made millions there working with Trump , Viacom and ITT, Inc. The money earned allowed the couple to live in a luxurious $ 1.7 million house in Harrison, a vacation home in West Palm Beach , a Ferrari and two Mercedes Owning Benz .

Trial and conviction of the husband

On February 23, 1999, Albert Pirro was charged by United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York , Mary Jo White , with one-off intrigue , four tax evasion and 28 false tax filing charges. Albert Pirro reportedly reported $ 1 million in personal wealth as business income between 1997 and 1998 in order to save taxes. This included the cost of his Ferrari, the two Mercedes for his wife and mother, electric gates for their house, furniture in the shared holiday home, investments in the garden, cruise tickets , expensive wine and the salaries of the domestic helpers . The investigation was only stimulated by the arrest of a bureaucrat from Yonkers for embezzlement. He claimed that Albert Pirro had bribed him with $ 5,000 in order to get a cinema permit easier and faster.

In the nine years that the fraud took place, the couple filed joint tax returns for the years 1993–1995.

On February 23, Jeanine Pirro criticized the investigation against her husband, describing it as "invasive and hostile". The governor and his family - good friends of the Pirros - were cautious and wished the couple “all the best”.

Albert Pirro's trial began on May 15, 2000. His wife always appeared the first few days and said she had come as “mother and wife”. During the trial it turned out, among other things, that Jeanine had spent $ 5,000 of the money on an oil painting of her children. This also put them in a worse light in public. Jeanine Pirro criticized the judiciary by claiming that they were trying by all means to involve them in the process.

On June 23, 2000, after four days of reflection, the jury found Albert Pirro guilty in all 34 cases and convicted him in 23 cases by the judge. After the conviction, Jeanine Pirro considered resigning from all of her posts as this had also destroyed her reputation. She considered going into the more lucrative private sector. On November 2, 2000, Jeanine Pirro's husband Albert was sentenced to 2 years and 5 months in prison in a lower-security federal prison. He was given a reduced sentence because he chose not to appeal .

Wiretapping scandal

In the middle of her 2006 State Attorney campaign, Pirro revealed that she had been the subject of a state investigation into whether she had illegally taped conversations with her husband Albert to convict him of adultery . In November of the following year, the couple announced their separation. In 2013 they got a final divorce .

Media career

Pirro was a regular guest on the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet . She currently appears on Today , Fox NY Good Day New York, is a legal analyst for Fox News, and has appeared on a variety of shows in that position. She has already been a guest host on shows such as Larry King Live , The Joy Behar Show and Geraldo at large . She was also a frequent guest on the Fox late-night - satire show Red Eye w / Greg Gutfeld . She is a regular at The Five .

In 2003 Pirro published the book To Punish and Protect , describing life inside the criminal justice system. In 2012 Pirro wrote, with the help of Pete Earley, the novel Sly Fox , which is based on her own experiences at the age of 25.

Pirro starred in the six-part HBO series The Jinx . Pirro moderated the court program You the Jury , which was canceled after two episodes.

Judge Jeanine Pirro at The CW

On May 5, 2008, the CW announced that Jeanine Pirro would now host a weekly program called Judge Jeanine Pirro . The program was broadcast during the day. The show was created by Warner Bros. Television produced .

A second season started in 2009 and was nominated for an Emmy for the first time in 2010, and in 2011 the show received the Daytime Emmy Award . In September 2011, the program was stopped due to falling ratings .

Justice with Judge Jeanine at Fox News

Pirro is currently moderating the program Justice with Judge Jeanine , which has been running on Fox News since January 2011 . The show is broadcast over the weekend and deals with the law-related stories from the previous week.

Political positions

Pirro at the CPAC

Support President Trump

Pirro supported the Republican presidential candidate and later President Donald Trump during his election campaign in 2016 . Still, she was angry at some of his behavior at times. After Donald Trump's misogynist audio recordings were released, Pirro defended him. She justified this with the fact that she had Donald in "millions" situations with z. B. experienced his children and he was always a " gentleman ".

After Donald Trump's election victory, Pirro made sharp defense speeches for the president.

Jeanine Pirro at the Conservative Political Action Conference

Pirro advocates the dismissal of investigators who are investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election campaign . Pirro describes the FBI's intervention as "out of place" in the traditions of the constitution . In May 2018, Pirro said that Trump had fulfilled a "biblical prophecy" by moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing it as the capital.

In June 2018, Politico reported that Pirro is interested in the post of Justice Minister Jeff Sessions has held so far . Pirro described him in her show as the "most dangerous man in America".

When Donald Trump refused to confirm at the Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2018 that Russian hackers had intervened in the US election, Pirro defended Trump. Pirro said: “What should he do? Take out a gun and shoot Putin? ”She alluded to Trump's rather cautious approach to Putin. That same month, Trump invited Pirro to the Oval Office and posed with her and her newly published book. As a result, Trump was accused of ethical violations on a number of occasions for promoting a pro-Trump book in the Oval Office.

Others

Pirro falsely claimed that IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi was released by then US President Obama . Al Baghdadi was sacked by President Bush in 2004 . Pirro supports positive discrimination and the right of women to decide whether to keep a child. It supports the Medicaid program , which funds abortions for low-income groups. On the other hand, she rejects late abortions. She advocates the second amendment to the constitution and thus the unrestricted gun law .

In June 2018, she described Trump's pardon on conservative film director Dinesh D'Souza , who had been reported for illegal campaign donations, as "fantastic news".

Books

• To Punish and Protect , describing life inside the criminal justice system (2003)
• Sly Fox (2013)
• Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy (2018)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pirro Mania. Retrieved July 21, 2018 . 
2. ^ Jeanine Pirro on LinkedIn. Retrieved July 21, 2018 . 
3. ^ Jeanine Pirro, Catherine Whitney: To Punish and Protect. A Da's Fight Against a System That Coddles Criminals . St. Martin's Press, New York 2015, ISBN 978-1-250-08794-2 .
4. ^ Matter of Richardson v Richardson (2010 NY Slip Op 07943). Retrieved July 21, 2018 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b} Pirro’s letter: DA Says She Remade Rules . In: Observer . August 22, 2005 ( observer.com [accessed July 21, 2018]).
6. ↑ Pirro Mania. Retrieved July 21, 2018 . 
7. ^ Jeanine Pirro will not seek re-election as county DA. May 25, 2005. Retrieved July 21, 2018 . 
8. ↑ Pull Pirro show for my jail hell. NY Daily News, accessed July 26, 2018 . 
9. ^ Frank Lynn: A Prosecutor is Picked to Run With O'Rourke . In: The New York Times . May 27, 1986 ( nytimes.com ).
10. ^ Frank Lynn: Surprise Gop Candidate Leaves Race . In: The New York Times . May 29, 1986 ( nytimes.com ).
11. ↑ Media Tip: How to Recover From a Brain Freeze. January 22, 2013, accessed July 26, 2018 . 
12. ↑ Pirro's Path to Republican Nomination Is Clearer, but Obstacles Remain - New York Times. June 17, 2013, accessed July 26, 2018 . 
13. ↑ 'My own Woman' Pirro defends her record in an explosive interview W'CHESTER DA SHOUTS: 'I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT MY HUSBAND!' In: NY Daily News . May 9, 2005 ( nydailynews.com ).
14. ↑ Pirro Mania. Retrieved July 26, 2018 . 
15. ↑ Rising Power Couple With Ties To Pataki Takes A Sudden Fall . In: The Observer . March 15, 1999 ( observer.com ).
16. ↑ Lisa Depaulo: The DA's Husband Trouble . In: The New York Times . May 9, 1999 ( nytimes.com ).
17. ^ Robert Worth: The Law; A new role for Jeanine Pirro . In: The New York Times . May 28, 2000 ( nytimes.com ).
18. ↑ David W. Chen: Federal Jury Convicts Pirro On All Tax-Fraud Charges . In: The New York Times . June 23, 2000 ( nytimes.com ).
19. ^ Lisa W. Foderaro: Pirro Faces Questions About Future as Prosecutor . In: The New York Times . July 27, 2000 ( nytimes.com ).
20. ↑ David W. Chen: Pirro Sentenced To 29 Months In US Prison . In: The New York Times . November 2, 2000 ( nytimes.com ).
21. ↑ Jonathan P. Hicks: Pirro Smiles for Cameras, Seeking to Repair Her Image . October 3, 2006 ( nytimes.com ).
22. ↑ ^{a b} Sherryl Connelly: TV judge Jeanine Pirro publishes her first novel, 'Sly Fox,' using some of her own history as inspiration . In: NY Daily News . April 23, 2014 ( nydailynews.com ).
23. ^ Former DA Pirro gets TV show . In: NY Daily News . July 3, 2014 ( nydailynews.com ).
24. ^ Patrick D. Healy: Democrats Push Rival to Repay Security Costs . In: The New York Times . August 3, 2005 ( nytimes.com ).
25. ^ I still support Donald Trump. (No longer available online.) Fox News, archived from the original on November 11, 2016 ; accessed on June 17, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
26. ↑ ^{a b c} Trump dangled administration job to Judge Jeanine . In: Politico . ( politico.com [accessed July 26, 2018]).
27. ↑ Trump's must-see TV: Judge Jeanine's show and her positive take on the president. Retrieved July 26, 2018 . 
28. ^ Jeanine Pirro of Fox News Helps to Old Friend: President Trump . ( nytimes.com ).
29. ↑ Republican attacks on the FBI are despicable . In: National Catholic Reporter . December 15, 2017 ( ncronline.org [accessed July 26, 2018]).
30. ^ GOP's Attack on Mueller & FBI Is Disgraceful | RealClearPolitics . ( realclearpolitics.com [accessed July 26, 2018]).
31. ↑ Aris Folley: Jeanine Pirro says Trump 'fulfilled' a 'biblical prophecy' by moving US Embassy to Jerusalem . In: TheHill . May 14, 2018 ( thehill.com [accessed July 26, 2018]).
32. ↑ ^{a b} Justin Wise: Jeanine Pirro defends Trump: Was he supposed to shoot Putin? In: TheHill . July 17, 2018 ( thehill.com [accessed July 26, 2018]).
33. ↑ Jacqueline Thomsen: Trump promotes Jeanine Pirro's new book in the Oval Office . In: TheHill . July 24, 2018 ( thehill.com [accessed July 26, 2018]).
34. ↑ Antonia Blumberg: In The Oval Office, Trump Poses With Fox News' Jeanine Pirro - And The Book She's Selling . In: Huffington Post . July 25, 2018 ( huffingtonpost.com ).
35. ^ ^{A b} Fox's Pirro: Obama set ISIS leader free in 2009 . In: @politifact . ( Online [accessed July 26, 2018]).
36. ^ Dick Morris: Helping Hillary now will hurt the Republicans later . In: TheHill . June 22, 2005 ( thehill.com [accessed July 26, 2018]).
37. ^ Elisabeth Bumiller: In High-Profile Race of Maybes, Add Pirro . ( nytimes.com ).