Trump pulls the nomination of Ed Martin for DC US Attorney after concerns of partisanship

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would pull his nomination of Ed Martin Jr. to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, bowing to bipartisan concerns about the conservative activist's modest legal experience, divisive politics and support for Jan. 6 rioters.

Instead, the president said Martin will be tapped as an associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney, putting him in the position of recommending pardons for a slew of defendants involved in the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. When he returned to office in January, Trump granted sweeping pardons and commutations of all people charged with crimes in connection with the riot, or vowed to dismiss their cases.

In his new role, Martin will also be director of the ''weaponization working group'' at the Justice Department. That group was created in February to investigate the work of former special counsel Jack Smith, who led two federal prosecutions of Trump that were ultimately dismissed, and other instances during the administration of former President Joe Biden that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives.

''In these highly important roles, Ed will make sure we finally investigate the Weaponization of our Government under the Biden Regime, and provide much needed Justice for its victims,'' Trump wrote in a social media post Thursday evening.

On the social media platform X, Martin posted, ''Eagle Unleashed.''

Trump abandoned his pick to lead the nation's largest U.S. Attorney's office two days after a key Republican senator said he could not support Martin for the job due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol more than four years ago. Later Thursday, Trump announced that Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, will be the interim top federal prosecutor for Washington, D.C.

''He's a terrific person, and he wasn't getting the support from people that I thought,'' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the status of Martin's confirmation. He signaled he had little capacity to call on-the-fence senators to lobby them: ''I can only lift that little phone so many times in a day.''

Martin has served as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia since Trump's first week in office. But his hopes of keeping the job faded amid questions about his qualifications and background, including his support for Jan. 6 rioters.

Martin has stirred up a chorus of critics during his brief but tumultuous tenure in office. He fired and demoted subordinates who worked on politically sensitive cases. He posted on social media about potential targets of investigations. And he forced the chief of the office's criminal division to resign after directing her to scrutinize the awarding of a government contract during Democratic President Joe Biden's administration.

Martin's temporary appointment is due to expire on May 20.

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Tuesday that he wouldn't support Martin's nomination. Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said his opposition stemmed from Martin's defense of rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Other Republicans seemed likely to oppose Martin's nomination as well.

In response to a committee questionnaire, Martin initially failed to disclose that he made over 150 appearances on the Russian government-funded RT and Sputnik networks before he took office. He later included them in a follow-up letter.

Martin also had some prominent supporters, including Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump Jr. His backers touted his record of fighting for conservative causes and his efforts to reduce violent crime in Washington.

Martin was a leading figure in Trump's ''Stop the Steal'' movement. He spoke at a rally in Washington on the eve of the Capitol riot. He represented three Jan. 6 defendants and served on the board of the nonprofit Patriot Freedom Project, which reports raising over $2.5 million to support riot defendants.

In office, Martin oversaw the dismissals of hundreds of Jan. 6 cases after Trump pardoned defendants, commuted sentences or vowed to throw them out. Martin also ordered an internal review of prosecutors' use of a felony charge against hundreds of Capitol rioters, directing employees to hand over files, emails and other documents.

Martin's opponents also homed in on his public praise for a Capitol riot defendant, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who openly espoused white supremacist and antisemitic ideology and photographed himself sporting a Hitler mustache. He referred to Hale-Cusanelli as a friend who is ''an extraordinary guy.''

Martin told committee members that he condemns Hale-Cusanelli's hateful comments as ''abhorrent and deplorable.'' He claimed he didn't learn about them until after he presented him with the award during an event at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

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