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By Hollie Silverman
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Pressure is mounting on U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro from multiple directions, with White House adviser Peter Navarro publicly demanding that she fire a federal prosecutor involved in his contempt of Congress case.
The demand comes as Pirro faces scrutiny over whether the Justice Department will pursue a newly approved contempt referral against former COVID adviser Anthony Fauci.
Navarro erupted during an appearance Monday on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast when Pirro's name was mentioned, accusing her of failing to remove Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb, who helped prosecute both Navarro and Bannon for defying congressional subpoenas issued by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
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Both Navarro and Bannon were convicted of contempt of Congress and have served prison sentences, with a federal appeals court recently upholding Navarro's conviction.
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"Never mention her friggin' name to me, because that woman still refuses to fire John Crabb," Navarro said in video clips shared online. He argued that Crabb "was involved in putting you and me behind bars" and questioned why the prosecutor remains in the Justice Department.
Pirro's office declined to comment when reached by Newsweek via email Monday.
The tirade adds another complication for Pirro, who has already come under fire from President Donald Trump over her office's decision to drop charges in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case.
Trump publicly rebuked the longtime ally, saying she "choked" and "folded like an umbrella" after prosecutors concluded the damage was caused by a flawed renovation project rather than vandalism.
The President appointed Pirro, a former Fox News host and judge, as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in May 2025 after withdrawing his previous nominee. She was officially sworn in on May 28, 2025, and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 2, 2025.
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Fauci Decision Looms
Navarro's comments land as attention shifts to another politically explosive matter that could eventually reach Pirro's office.
Last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during testimony about the government's COVID-19 response.
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Republican Senator Rand Paul has said he intends to refer the matter for possible prosecution.
The contempt push has gained momentum following the release of Fauci-related records, including a government-issued pandemic-era cellphone that congressional investigators have obtained.
Lawmakers say the device contains tens of thousands of text messages and hundreds of voicemails that could become part of ongoing investigations into the federal pandemic response.
In a statement previously shared with Newsweek, one of Fauci's lawyers David Schertler, called the "partisan committee vote" a "crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights.
"The Senate should reject Senator Paul’s meritless and politically-motivated contempt resolution," he continued. "For years, Senator Paul has proclaimed to anyone who would listen that Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and put in prison. Dr. Fauci has committed no crime – and Senator Paul knows it."
Trump signaled last week that Fauci should face the same scrutiny that Navarro and Bannon encountered. Asked at the White House whether Fauci should be prosecuted, Trump pointed to the contempt convictions of his former advisers.
"They prosecuted Peter Navarro and they prosecuted Steve Bannon," Trump said. "They went to jail for a number of months." Trump added that what Fauci allegedly did was "far more serious than a lot of crimes."
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An Awkward Twist
The situation creates an awkward political twist for Pirro. Navarro is demanding that Pirro remove a prosecutor who helped secure his conviction for contempt of Congress at the same moment Republicans are pushing for criminal consequences against Fauci over his own contempt referral.
In effect, Navarro is invoking his prosecution as evidence that Crabb should be fired, while Trump and congressional Republicans are citing the prosecutions of Navarro and Bannon as a precedent for why Fauci should face a similar legal process.
That places Pirro in the middle of competing pressures: criticism from Trump over the Reflecting Pool controversy, demands from Navarro regarding Justice Department personnel, and growing expectations from Republicans that the Fauci contempt case be aggressively pursued.
What's Next
Whether Pirro responds to Navarro's calls regarding Crabb, or becomes involved in any future action stemming from the Fauci contempt referral, could further intensify scrutiny of one of the Trump administration's highest-profile prosecutors.
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas
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