In an incisive interview with Jewish Insider published today, newly-appointed US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks of her decades in law enforcement and the focused attention she is paying to the scourge of antisemitism.
Many will know her as Judge Jeanine from her 11 years of hosting “Justice with Judge Jeanine” on Fox News.
Today and since mid-May, she's Washington’s chief federal law enforcement officer in an acting capacity. The interview notes that "The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines last week to advance Pirro’s nomination, and she’s expected to come before the full Senate in the fall, when the chamber returns from its August recess."
We're gratified that Judge Jeanine took the opportunity of the JI interview to address what arose in her July 17, 2025 video conference meeting with Frimet and Arnold Roth who took part from Jerusalem.
Here's an extract.
She recently connected with the family of Malki Roth, the 15-year-old Israeli American killed in a 2001 suicide bombing at a Sbarro restaurant in Israel, who informed her that they had never heard from anyone at her senior level in the Justice Department about their daughter’s death.
“I said to myself: I ain’t high up, but it’s sad they lost a daughter and they didn’t get the attention that they needed. They will get that attention now, and I am determined to do whatever I can,” Pirro said.
As part of that commitment, Pirro said she’s “working on” securing the extradition from Jordan of Ahlam Tamimi, a Palestinian terrorist convicted by an Israeli court for her role in the bombing, to the U.S. in order to face federal charges for the attack, which Roth’s parents have been advocating for since their daughter’s death.
Tamimi was released from Israel to Jordan as part of a 2011 deal. Jordan has repeatedly refused U.S. extradition requests for Tamimi since the DOJ indictment against her became public in 2017.
Pirro noted that Tamimi has expressed no remorse for her actions and is living a life of fame and freedom in Jordan, where she became well known for hosting a program on a Hamas-affiliated television network for years.
“That hate has always been so incomprehensible to me, and that’s why this has always been a mission. Now I’m back at my roots, and I continue with the mission,” she said.
“I don’t want to look in anymore. I want to look out,” Pirro said. “I want the people on the outside to know that there’s someone on the inside that they have access to, that they can speak with, that they can go back into the community and say, ‘She’s taking a strong stand. She’s going to prosecute these cases. She feels strongly about them, and if you’re not sure, go talk to her.’”
The battle to achieve US justice for Malki Roth and the other victims of the Sbarro atrocity has been complicated from the outset by the interplay among justice, Middle East politics and the things that matter to Washington insiders.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is heavily invested in cultivating a moderate image in Washington and it's hard to avoid the take-away that they have deployed their funds well.
Our prayer is that Judge Jeanine will stay the course and deliver on the mission she passionately articulates.