Washington – The majority of President Donald Trump’s main nominees have sailed through the Senate with little resistance. His election to be the main federal prosecutor of the capital of the Nation could be an exception.
Ed Martin Jr., a conservative activist with a modest legal experience that has defended the protesters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, is testing the loyalty of the Republican Party as a deadline approach for the Senate to decide if they will extend or end its brief but tumultuous possession as leader of the largest lawyer’s office in the country.
Martin’s nomination faces the vocal opposition of hundreds of veterans from the office that leads interim. Democrats are trying to link their confirmation vote. And the Republicans in the Senate Judicial Committee have said that they need more time to review their history.
There were signs of problems at a judicial meeting on Thursday when Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the main Democrat of the panel, said he understood that the president of the Committee, Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, was going to announce “that we will not advance in the nomination of Martin.”
Grassley avoided, saying that he would wait to talk about Martin until the committee scheduled a vote. But he said he was still asking hundreds of questions that the committee had raised to Martin, and added that part of his staff “had more questions” and wanted to meet him in person.
It was not a support from Martin, which has not spent much time in the courts, but it has been a loyal devotee from Trump.
A few days after assuming office in January, Martin dismissed or degraded veteran lawyers who processed Trump’s supporters for Assaulting the United States Capitol. Before his appointment, he represented and helped raise money for the accused of disturbances of the Capitol. Frequently appeared in Russian media To look at Trump’s conversation points. He even published Coloring books Glorifying Trump’s tweets.
Martin has not responded to several requests for interviews of Associated Press since he assumed office in January, even this week.
Martin recently He told NBC Washington that trusts that Trump made the “right decision” by nominating him. He has promoted his office work by addressing violent crime. And he told the legislators that his opinions will not influence the decisions of his office.
“We have to keep the streets safe and fight for the United States on the world stage. Incredible work and I am lucky to serve Donald Trump in this way,” Martin He wrote in a subsack publication.
Any vote on Martin’s nomination will surely be divided along the party lines. But first, the Democrats are asking for a rare audience in which they can roast it.
The judicial panel traditionally does not have confirmation hearings for us lawyers, trusting questionnaires.
Even if the committee approved Martin’s nomination, he would face obstacles on the Senate floor. California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, contributed the nomination, which means that Republicans would have to spend several days to confirm it. American lawyers are generally approved in groups by a fast voice vote.
Schiff last month said that Martin “has constantly undermined independence and has abused the power of the United States prosecutor in DC” since he assumed the position.
Martin has promoted the support of the main conservative figures, including Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk and Republican legislators of Donald Trump Jr., including the sens. Rand Paul de Kentucky and Marsha Blackburn de Tennessee have also expressed their support.
Paul in an X publication said he is confident that Martin “will work to clean DC and fight against judicial tyranny without law.
His supporters have said that his conservative causes of records make him the right person to lead the office that critics have affirmed that the unjustly defendants on January 6 and should have focused more on knocking down street crime. Weeks at work, an initiative of “Make DC Safe Again” announced to bring more weapons cases in a federal court, where sanctions are more rigid.
But at least one republican member of the committee seems to have reservations. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who has expressed some concerns about the comments of January 6, said Thursday that he will meet Martin next week.
Trump appointed Martin the same week in January that issued mass forgives to supporters who attacked the United States Capitol four years ago. It was an election that destroyed morality for prosecutors who spent four years building cases against more than 1,500 bolt defendants, the greatest investigation in the history of the Department of Justice.
Martin was an outstanding figure in the “Stop The Steal” movement of Trump. He spoke in a demonstration in Washington on the eve of the disturbances. He also represented three defendants of January 6, who classified among the 10 main cases of his legal career in the questionnaire of his committee.
Former Federal Prosecutor Michael Romano, who was detailed to help supervise the prosecution of January 6, returned to his Ministry of Interior in the Department of Justice before Martin arrived. And yet, Martin tried to degrade Romano to an entrance level along with other higher prosecutors who worked in cases of Capitol disturbances.
“He seemed not to realize that he didn’t work for him,” said Romano, who recently joined a private law firm. “It was a moment that made my eyes roll.”
Martin served at the Board of the non -profit organization Patriot Freedom Project, which information Raising more than $ 2.5 million to support the defendants on January 6. Last year, he presented an award to a defendant of Capitol Disturbances, Timothy Hale-Cusanelliwhich openly defended the white supremacist and anti -Semitic ideology and was photographed wearing a Hitler mustache. He referred to Hale-Cusanelli as a friend who is “an extraordinary guy.”
Martin told the members of the Committee to condemn Hale-Cusanelli’s hateful comments as “abhorrent and deplorable.” He said he did not learn about them until he presented the award during an event at the Trump Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
But Martin alluded to the controversy when he interviewed Hale-Cusanelli before the awards ceremony. Martin accused prosecutors of filtering photos of Hale-Cusanelli with Hitler’s mustache to contaminate the jury pool.
“It’s not your best, but not illegal,” Martin said.
Critics have accused Martin of abusing his office, and his account on Musk’s X platform, to intimidate possible research objectives.
At least three medical magazines He received cards from Martin asking about “competitive points of view.” Another letter that sent on the office stationery Accused Wikipedia of “allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda to the American public.”
Martin had the habit of being caught in political controversies, and litigation, during his incursions prior to the public service. Almost two decades ago, he was head of the Cabinet of the then governor of Missouri Matt Blunt when he was demanded by a former lawyer who said he was fired in retaliation for complaining that the administration was destroying illegally emails.
Martin was president of the Missouri Republican Party before becoming president of the conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum in April 2013. He is co -author of a book about Trump with Schlafly, who died in 2016.
Martin has referred himself as one of the president’s lawyers. His critics have called him not qualified and not suitable for work.
“Ed Martin has less experience than a minor crime assistant after a week in basic training. That is not an exaggeration,” said Kevin Flynn, who worked as a prosecutor under approximately a dozen US lawyers. Uu. In Washington before leaving the office in 2023. and he is not learning exactly at work. “
