Ed Martin shouldn’t be a typical choose for a U.S. lawyer.
President Trump’s alternative to steer the federal workplace in D.C. has by no means been a prosecutor – making him the primary individual with out that background to steer the workplace in over 50 years.
Already within the function on an interim foundation, he is sparked consideration together with his fiery X presence and a tenure that has already resulted in clashes with lawmakers and his personal workers.
“He’s always just been a ball of fire. I’ve always known him to be tireless, hugely enthusiastic…and he’s a cause oriented guy. He’s mission driven,” mentioned Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who is aware of Martin by means of Missouri political circles.
“He’s never been an establishment guy – ever. He’s always been a disrupter, wherever he is.”
In just some quick weeks on the job, Martin has introduced a good quantity of upheaval.
He’s despatched letters to 2 lawmakers accusing them of threatening political figures. He’s pointed to his new function in claiming to be one of many president’s attorneys – flouting Justice Division credo to function the folks’s legal professionals.
He sparked alarm with public letters to Elon Musk threatening to make use of his prosecutorial platform to go after those that “even acted simply unethically.”
And he’s additionally overseen the firings and reassignments of prosecutors that labored on Jan. 6 circumstances. A veteran prosecutor main the workplace’s prison division resigned fairly than perform an order from Martin she felt was not backed by ample proof. He additionally lately penned a letter to Georgetown College demanding they cease all range, fairness, and inclusion efforts, threatening that he would in any other case cease hiring graduates from the college.
Martin’s now dealing with a trio of ethics complaints from completely different lawmakers, the newest despatched this week by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) asking for an investigation by DOJ’s inspector basic, saying that “in seven short weeks, the list of Mr. Martin’s constitutionally, legally and ethically indefensible actions have grown exponentially.”
In the meantime, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have requested the D.C. bar to evaluate Martin’s conduct.
“Just about everything he’s doing unquestionably violates the spirit and ethos of the Department of Justice, and in many cases I think violates the rules and procedures. He is overtly using the power of his office for purely political reasons,” mentioned Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who requested the Justice Division inspector basic for an investigation into Martin’s continued illustration of a Jan. 6 defendant as a U.S. Legal professional.
Martin didn’t reply to The Hill’s requests to be interviewed for this story. The U.S. Legal professional’s workplace declined to remark and didn’t reply to questions.
It doesn’t appear Trump initially considered Martin for the job. He first introduced Martin as chief of workers on the Workplace of Administration and Price range earlier than shifting gears.
However as soon as Martin was tapped as interim U.S. lawyer, he wasted little time in pursuing the everlasting function, auditioning on social media with zealous vows to go after purported enemies of the Trump administration and reform Washington. Trump formally nominated him to steer the D.C. workplace final month.
Martin seems to be able to tackle the title. In all of the communications he’s posted on X, he refers to himself as a U.S. Legal professional regardless of serving within the function on an interim foundation.
He’s laid out a “Make D.C. Safe Again” plan that features requiring bringing gun prices in federal courtroom, which carries harsher penalties.
And he additionally penned an open letter to police to announce that he would prosecute to the fullest extent of the legislation any “thug” that assaults an officer. The identical letter mentioned he would “stand up” in opposition to public defenders or judges who “maligns our officers.”
A former chair of the Missouri Republican Get together, Martin has been a presence within the state’s political circles for a while, launching repeated bids for political workplace whereas additionally internet hosting his personal conservative discuss radio present.
He bought his begin within the Archdiocese of St. Louis, working as director of its Human Rights Workplace. Justin Rigali, the archbishop of the town, needed the workplace reined in so he chosen Martin, who had change into a pal, for the job, reported St. Louis Journal in 2011, when Martin was working for U.S. Senate.
His presence there was not essentially welcomed. Angie O’Gorman, an worker of the workplace, complained to archdiocesan officers that Martin had no expertise in human rights work, St. Louis Journal reported; Martin later fired her.
Catholicism has formed a lot of Martin’s life, having attended Catholic highschool and acquired his undergraduate diploma from School of the Holy Cross, the place he roomed with certainly one of late Justice Antonin Scalia’s sons.
After that, he briefly lived in Rome learning philosophy at a non-public pontifical college, the place he has mentioned he grew a bond with Pope John Paul II.
An individual near Martin informed The Hill that his religion is “more fundamental to him than his Republicanism,” informing his method to “every breath he takes,” together with in his work.
After a number of authorized and political roles, Martin joined Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Discussion board Training & Authorized Protection Fund, a conservative advocacy group targeted totally on social points named after the late conservative activist. Martin and Schlafly co-authored a e book titled “The Conservative Case for Trump,” which was launched a day after her 2016 loss of life.
The group’s workplace sat throughout the road from St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill, the place the individual near Martin mentioned the now-top prosecutor seemingly spent nearly as a lot time in prayer as he did within the political workplace.
Martin’s LinkedIn signifies he labored for the group for greater than a decade, beginning as a particular assistant to Schlafly and ascending to president of the group. His X account nonetheless dubs him “EagleEdMartin.”
In just some weeks on the job as an interim U.S. lawyer, Martin has operated otherwise from a lot of his predecessors.
He’s been fast to curry favor with Elon Musk, firing off images of letters he’s drafted completely by way of the X net platform owned by the billionaire.
In these letters he vowed to go after those that “even acted simply unethically,” saying he would “chase them to the ends of the earth to hold them accountable” and added that “noone [sic] is above the law.”
It was a pledge that bought Martin dragged on the platform for performing unethically, because the Justice Division guide instructs prosecutors to solely pursue circumstances in which there’s proof of a criminal offense.
Goldman known as the letter “absurd.”
“You must have reasonable suspicion to believe a crime was committed in order to open an investigation, and the notion that he would be threatening to open a criminal investigation based on what he perceives to be unethical conduct is disallowed by the law. It’s also unethical,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, these letters to Musk appeared to function the premise for later correspondence to Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) asking about alleged “threats” they made in opposition to public officers. Martin’s investigation into Schumer for feedback he made 5 years in the past warning justices would “pay the price” with reference to an abortion case seems to have fallen by the wayside, in keeping with reporting from The Washington Publish.
Bruce Inexperienced, a authorized ethics professor at Fordham College Legislation Faculty, mentioned that “all the problems” with Martin appear to stem from his perception that he’s an lawyer for Trump.
“He seems to think that his job is to do Donald Trump’s bidding and/or to promote his interests, including his political interests, and that’s wrong,” Inexperienced mentioned.
“The basic problem is that he’s threatening to use the criminal justice power against people who were just on the other side of the political aisle and haven’t done anything.”
Garcia mentioned he had but to obtain any extra letters from Martin and mentioned he was unaware of the standing of the investigation. However he criticized Martin for what he known as an effort to intimate lawmakers.
“It’s important, I think, for us not to be discouraged to speak out and to speak out against Elon Musk and Donald Trump. And clearly, there are efforts to intimidate members of Congress and U.S. senators, and I think that’s dangerous for the country. I think we need to be able to speak out, and we have a right to be opposed to the administration, and that’s what we’ll continue to do,” he mentioned.
Inexperienced mentioned Speech and Debate Clause protections would seemingly protect lawmakers however he feared Martin’s pledge to Musk might have a chilling impact on company workers who could also be rightfully and lawfully blocking DOGE entry to completely different division features or knowledge.
Inexperienced famous a speech from former Legal professional Basic Robert Jackson, warning of prosecutors who “pick people that he thinks he should get, rather than pick cases that need to be prosecuted.”
“To me, Mr. Martin is basically indicating he’s going to use his power to get people,” Green said.. “And the people he’s going to get are the people who are in the other political party …that’s a thing that prosecutors do in totalitarian states.”
Martin’s Jan. 6 connections – each earlier than and after taking up his new function – have additionally sparked alarm.
Martin flouted a subpoena by the now-disbanded Jan. 6 panel in relation to his function as a Cease the Steal organizer. He spoke at a rally the day earlier than the riot and was on the Capitol grounds because the constructing was being stormed by Trump’s supporters. He by no means confirmed for his deposition or equipped requested paperwork.
And he additionally later represented at the very least three defendants who had been charged in reference to storming the Capitol.
However that background has resulted in clashes in his new function.
Martin is dealing with requests for 2 completely different ethics investigations after he concurrently was the lawyer of report each for the Justice Division and a Jan. 6 defendant he represented, submitting to dismiss his prices following Trump’s widespread pardons.
”It seems that he benefited certainly one of his personal shoppers after he was given this submit within the US Legal professional’s Workplace. That severe matter,” mentioned Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Sick.), the highest Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Durbin has requested the D.C. bar to analyze Martin, citing an “impermissible conflict of interest.”
“I don’t do that very frequently, and there is a question about whether there is an ethical lapse there,” Durbin mentioned.
Martin has since sidelined prosecutors that labored on Jan. 6 circumstances, demoting a number of to entry-level positions.
It’s not clear when Martin will come earlier than the Senate for his affirmation listening to, because the chamber’s Judiciary Committee should nonetheless work its manner by means of a sequence of Justice Division nominees earlier than turning to the nation’s 94 U.S. Attorneys.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the highest Democrat on the Home Oversight Committee, lately despatched his personal letter to Martin asking for a sequence of assurances, together with asking him to affirm criticism of Musk is protected free speech and whether or not the Justice Division would goal anybody based mostly on their political viewpoints.
“He’s not even pretending to be neutral, objective, fair and balanced,” Connolly mentioned.
“But my hope would be that my colleagues in the Senate will go after his behavior, because the public needs to see it. They need to be exposed to what he’s been doing.”
