Watchdog seeks disciplinary action against Pirro over bid to charge lawmakers

A legal watchdog has filed bar complaints against U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and two of her deputies, alleging they violated attorney ethics in their attempt to secure federal charges against six Democratic lawmakers.

The Legal Accountability Center lodged complaints on Tuesday with authorities in New York and Virginia, accusing Pirro and her subordinates, Carlton Davis and Steven Vandervelden, of pursuing "meritless" indictments against perceived political opponents of President Donald Trump. The group argues the prosecutors abused their authority for political ends rather than legal merit.

The move stems from a February episode in which a Washington grand jury declined to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, along with four House Democrats, over their appearance in a video encouraging service members to follow established protocols and refuse unlawful orders. All six lawmakers have military or intelligence backgrounds. Trump had publicly accused them of sedition, calling it "punishable by DEATH."

Grand juries rarely refuse to return indictments, but such refusals have become more frequent in Washington during Trump's second term. Critics have accused Pirro of pursuing other legally questionable cases at the president's urging, including a recently dropped felony charge against a former Olympian accused of defacing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The center has previously filed complaints against other administration officials, including Ed Martin Jr., Pirro's predecessor as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who has been central to Trump's efforts to use the Justice Department against political rivals.

In its complaint, the center asks bar officials to investigate whether Pirro and her colleagues breached professional conduct rules and to pursue appropriate discipline. The filing states there was no legal basis for the "patently improper effort" to indict the lawmakers, adding that the only purpose "could have been political animus and a desire to intimidate perceived enemies of the federal government and the President."

Separately, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has attempted to censure Kelly for his role in the video. Kelly sued to block the censure and won in district court; Hegseth has appealed.

The complaint against Pirro and Vandervelden was filed with a grievance committee in White Plains, New York, while the one against Davis was filed with the Virginia State Bar.

"Prosecutors have enormous power, and with that power comes an obligation to exercise independent legal judgment rather than use the criminal justice system to carry out a president's political demands," said Michael Teter, the center's co-founder.

Pirro, a former New York prosecutor and judge, left her role as a Fox News host to become Washington's top federal prosecutor last year. Her office has not commented on the allegations.