Report: Jeanine Pirro Suspended for Two Weeks

Judge Jeanine Pirro (L) Jemal Countess/Getty Images

A report said that Fox News host Jeanine Pirro will be suspended for two weeks over her remarks about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn).

On March 16, Pirro’s show on Fox didn’t air, and she has remained uncharacteristically silent on Twitter. Her last tweet was from a week ago.

CNN reported on March 17 that her show would be off the air for two weeks, adding that she is merely in the “penalty box” and wasn’t fired. The report conflicts with other reports over the weekend that said she was fired.

Fox hasn’t issued a statement about her status. A spokesperson told Deadline Hollywood that it wouldn’t comment on “internal scheduling matters.”

Fox had released a statement last week saying, “We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”

Pirro had commented on whether Omar’s choice to wear a hijab signaled her support for Islam’s Sharia law.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in Washington on Jan. 10, 2019. Alex Wong/Getty Images

“Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”

The remark came after Omar made what many Jewish groups said were anti-Semitic statements. She suggested that pro-Israel organizations were coercing lawmakers in pledging allegiance to a foreign country.

“I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American. My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution,” Pirro said after Fox News’ condemnation. “I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today.”

President Donald Trump on March 17 called on Fox News to keep Pirro amid the controversy.

“The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country,” he wrote.  “They have all out campaigns against FoxNews hosts who are doing too well.”

Trump urged Fox  to “stay strong” in the face of relentless pressure and “fight back with vigor.”

“Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country,” he continued. “The losers all want what you have, don’t give it to them. Be strong & prosper, be weak & die!”

Meanwhile, the Rupert Murdoch-owned network should stick with “the people that got you there.”

“Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for JudgeJeanine,” he continued. “Your competitors are jealous—they all want what you’ve got—NUMBER ONE. Don’t hand it to them on a silver platter. They can’t beat you, you can only beat yourselves!”

Trump was speaking about Fox host Tucker Carlson, who made controversial statements about a decade ago on shock-jock radio show “Bubba the Love Sponge.”

Some social media users said they would boycott Fox if Pirro was fired.

Omar, meanwhile, has faced mounting criticism from Jewish groups after making the remarks.

Steve Hunegs,  who is executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, blasted Omar for her comments.

“Our community is exasperated by Rep. Omar’s unfulfilled promises to listen and learn from Jewish constituents while seemingly simultaneously finding another opportunity to make an anti-Semitic remark and insult our community,” Hunegs said, according to The Associated Press earlier this month.