A legal watchdog has filed bar complaints against U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and two of her lieutenants, accusing them of violating ethical duties in their efforts to charge six Democratic lawmakers with federal crimes. The complaints, submitted by the Legal Accountability Center in New York and Virginia, allege that Pirro, Carlton Davis, and Steven Vandervelden abused their prosecutorial powers in seeking what the center describes as "meritless" indictments against political opponents of President Donald Trump.
The complaints follow a grand jury's decision in February not to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, along with four House Democrats, for their participation in a video urging military personnel to reject unlawful orders. All six lawmakers have military or intelligence backgrounds. In a social media post, Trump accused them of sedition, suggesting it was a crime punishable by death.
The center's complaint claims that Pirro's actions were politically motivated and lacked a legal basis. It requests an investigation into whether Pirro and her colleagues violated professional conduct rules for attorneys and seeks appropriate disciplinary measures. The center has previously filed complaints against other Trump administration officials, including Ed Martin Jr., Pirro's predecessor.
The center's co-founder, Michael Teter, stated that prosecutors have a responsibility to exercise independent legal judgment and not to act on political demands from the president. Pirro, who previously worked as a county prosecutor and judge in New York, became the top federal prosecutor for Washington after leaving her role as a Fox News host last year.