Piro was upset that her ex-husband Albert J. Piro Jr. is not on Trump’s final pardon list, which came out early Wednesday morning, and the message was passed on to the White House and its former resident, according to a former White House adviser. Albert Piro has been convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion after incorrectly deducting $ 1.2 million from his personal expenses when writing off a business.
A separate source familiar with the matter told CNN that Albert Piro was not on the pardon radar before Wednesday morning. It was not until mid-morning that day that assistants, who were in the midst of their outstanding duties to the new administration, were told that this should be done.
The order came as a complete surprise, and there were aides trying to make it before the ET lunch deadline, when Trump̵
Minutes after Trump landed in Florida after his last flight aboard Air Force One from Washington, former White House Deputy Secretary-General Judd Deere issued a statement announcing that “Today, President Donald J. Trump gave full pardon to Albert J. Piro, Jr.
Irena Brigantti, executive vice president of Fox News for corporate communications, did not respond to a request for comment.
Piro turned to Omar, one of the few Muslim members of Congress, noting Minnesota’s religious coverage.
“Think about it: Omar wears a hijab,” Piro said. “Is its adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of its observance of Sharia law, which in itself contradicts the US Constitution?”
Her remarks prompted Fox to say, “We strongly condemn Janine Piro’s comments,” and that her views “do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the issue directly.”
CNN’s Brian Steller, Betsy Klein, Kevin Liptak and Caitlan Collins contributed to this report.
