‘She Folded Like an Umbrella’: Jeanine Pirro Spotted Fleeing White House with Mystery Box and Suitcase After Trump Publicly Guts Her for Not Falling in Line
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro was spotted leaving the West Wing Monday evening pulling a rolling briefcase and carrying a white box just hours after President Donald Trump publicly accused one of his closest allies of “folding like an umbrella” and reports surfaced that he is considering firing her over a stunning Justice Department reversal.
CNN cameras captured the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia leaving the White House, wheeling the briefcase behind her. Earlier in the day, an aide was seen bringing what appeared to be the same briefcase and white box into the West Wing before Pirro met privately with Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, according to CNN’s Kitt Maher.
Pirro, a former Fox News host and longtime Trump ally, was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia in May 2025 and later confirmed by the Senate.
Rumors of Pirro’s Removal
The unusual White House visit came as CNN reported that Trump is seriously considering removing Pirro after her office filed court documents last week concluding that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by a botched renovation rather than the vandalism narrative the president had repeatedly promoted.
Two people familiar with Trump’s thinking told CNN the president is “furious” over the filing. One source said Trump spent much of the weekend fuming about Pirro and believes it is “highly likely she’s removed from her job.”
According to CNN, Trump was also “blindsided” by the filing and did not know beforehand that Pirro’s office intended to reverse course and ask a judge to dismiss the criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn.
Despite the speculation, Pirro was not fired during Monday’s meeting, nor did she resign, according to multiple reports.
Trump Unloads on Longtime Ally
Trump made no effort to hide his disappointment during an Oval Office event Monday.
“Frankly, I think she choked, because the judge was really vicious,” Trump said. “Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked.”
He added, “I was disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. Really disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella.”
The president had already publicly rebuked Pirro over the weekend after the Justice Department asked a judge to dismiss felony vandalism charges against David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool.
“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking?” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social. “There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
CNN reported that Trump and Pirro also spoke by phone Saturday, with one source describing the conversation as “wasn’t pretty.”
Another source told the network Pirro argued that career prosecutors in her office, not she personally, were responsible for the filing.
Justice Department Reverses Course
The controversy erupted Friday when Pirro’s office acknowledged that investigators no longer believed they could prove Hearn intentionally vandalized the Reflecting Pool.
Instead, prosecutors concluded the damage appeared to stem from a rushed renovation completed ahead of Trump’s July 4 deadline.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” Pirro wrote in the motion, which was co-signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence.
The filing also pointed the finger at the Interior Department, arguing officials failed to provide critical information early in the investigation.
“Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment,” the filing stated.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum publicly rejected that conclusion, writing on social media Saturday, “The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool.”
However, internal communications obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests reportedly contain no discussion of vandalism while federal agencies planned repairs. Instead, emails referenced algae buildup and maintenance concerns, including plans to drain the pool.
Pirro’s Future Uncertain
The Justice Department has asked a judge to dismiss Hearn’s indictment without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could potentially bring the charges again later.
Hearn’s attorneys have signaled they may pursue sanctions and other legal remedies.
“Nothing is off the table,” attorney Michael R. Bromwich said.
The defense also dismissed suggestions that prosecutors had simply been misled by federal agencies.
“Trump is mad at Pirro because she finally admitted what we made clear in our legal filings all along: Trump’s botched renovation was responsible for the damage—not Davey Hearn,” attorneys Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann and Steve Levin said in a statement to the Hill.