Washington DC - Donald Trump on Thursday appointed TV personality and former judge Jeanine Pirro to a key post in the US judiciary, the president's latest nomination of a Fox News on-air host to a position of government power.

The brash 73-year-old has been selected to work as interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, plucked from one of Trump's favorite hiring pools: right-leaning television networks.

Other hires from cable news include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former reality TV show competitor and Fox Business co-host.

The pick came soon after Trump pulled his first choice for the post, a defense lawyer who represented defendants charged in the January 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol.

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"I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The president described the former district attorney of New York's Westchester County as being "in a class by herself."

Pirro briefly entered politics in ill-fated attempts to run for the US Senate and for New York Attorney General, losing the latter race to Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

She began earning wider public exposure by hosting a weekday television show, Judge Jeanine Pirro, from 2008 to 2011. That year, she joined Fox News Channel to host Justice with Judge Jeanine, which ran for 11 years, and today she is a co-host of the network's show, The Five.

Pirro has also authored several books, including Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy, from 2018. The Washington Post described the book as "sycophantic" in its support for Trump.

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After promoting unfounded conspiracy theories alleging election fraud in 2020, Pirro was named a defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by c, which said Fox broadcast false statements about the company.

Fox News settled the case for nearly $800 million.