Appearing U.S. Lawyer for the District of Columbia Ed Martin makes use of the nickname “The Eagle” on the job. He has been posting on social media about crime in Washington, D.C., utilizing the hashtag #MarchBadness. Martin, whose nomination for the everlasting publish of U.S. lawyer for D.C. is being thought of by the Senate, has been attracting consideration along with his social media posts, in addition to a few of his actions in his capability as performing U.S. lawyer.
In a single on Saturday, Martin wrote, “Hey, thugs with weapons, you hear that? Yup, we comin.'”
He was probably referring to a memo circulated Monday to his workers, wherein Martin mentioned over a dozen brokers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can be dispatched to assist with an “wonderful alternative” to assist initiatives to cut back violent crime within the nation’s capital.
Amanda Andrade-Rhoades / AP
Martin’s new initiative seeks extra federal district courtroom prosecutions of Washington, D.C., gun crimes. His memo, obtained by CBS Information, mentioned his workplace is “kicking off the Make DC Secure Once more initiative,” which echoes the Make America Nice Once more slogan invoked by Trump.
“We’re following the route of President Trump and (Lawyer) Common Bondi within the latest govt orders and memoranda. We are going to flood the federal district courtroom with instances—to make our metropolis protected,” the memo mentioned. This has been tried earlier than. In February 2019, a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor introduced a undertaking to search higher-level costs for gun instances within the District of Columbia.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for D.C. and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives D.C. subject workplace declined requests for remark.
Whereas he waits for his affirmation vote, Martin has continued to courtroom controversy with provocative social posts.
In a social media publish Saturday, Martin wrote that his predecessor was a “Biden prosecutor” who “upped political prosecutions, he steered assets to a now-debunked authorized concept that focused Americans, and gun prosecutions went down. Actually. Let me be clear: he used our $ to chase political hoaxes whereas the folks of DC had been terrorized by thugs with weapons.”
The U.S. lawyer for the D.C. has a novel potential to deal with federal crimes within the nation’s capital, together with these involving federal officers and amenities. As U.S. lawyer for D.C., Martin days in the past demoted a bunch of prime senior prosecutors within the workplace to entry degree positions, together with those that helped with the Jan. 6 Capitol revolt prosecutions. Now, at the least some are being assigned to deal with misdemeanor instances
His demotions have triggered inside dissension, in line with a number of sources who spoke with CBS Information.
Martin has filed a sequence of courtroom motions to assist promptly shut out lots of the pending Capitol riot prosecutions. Earlier than his appointment, Martin served as a protection lawyer for Capitol riot defendants and was an energetic member of the “Cease the Steal” motion, which promoted baseless claims of election fraud in 2020.
Final month, Martin instructed his workers to reply to surveys, searching for details about “5 issues” they’d completed that week, from Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity. Martin additionally instructed workers to reply to the second survey that was emailed over the weekend.
Martin can be below new scrutiny by congressional Democrats after writing a social media publish final month wherein he referred to U.S. attorneys as “Trump’s legal professionals,” who’re “vigilant in standing towards entities just like the [Associated Press] that refuse to place America first.”
However U.S. attorneys will not be the president’s legal professionals. Their mission is to make sure that federal legal guidelines are enforced. Of their districts, they’re additionally concerned in civil litigations the place the U.S. is a celebration.
Martin additionally posted a notice to the legislation agency Covington & Burling and former particular counsel Jack Smith to “save your receipts” and promised, “We’ll be in contact quickly.” The message included a hyperlink to a narrative noting the agency was defending Smith professional bono. Smith indicted President Trump in two separate instances.
Home Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer praised Martin in an announcement, saying, “By nominating Ed Martin to be the following U.S. Lawyer for the District of Columbia, President Donald Trump wasted no time delivering on his promise to revive legislation and order in our capital metropolis.”
However Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat who’s the rating member on the committee, has launched an investigation into Martin’s initiatives and actions as performing U.S. lawyer. He wrote a letter to Martin questioning his public statements which, he mentioned, “are directed completely at opponents of and categorical help for the Trump Administration, explicitly criticize the Biden Administration, publicize pending investigative exercise by your workplace, and make assertions of reality for which there exists no proof.”
Martin’s statements “increase severe considerations that your new initiative is a pretext for misusing your workplace for political ends, threatening and intimidating critics of the Administration, and chilling constitutionally protected speech,” Connolly added.
A spokesperson for Martin declined to remark.
The Home Oversight Committee Democrats’ inquiry ordered Martin to submit responses by March 11 about how the workplace would search to guard the security of Capitol law enforcement officials and federal prosecutors who had been a part of the Jan. 6 prosecutions. The inquiry additionally asks Martin to “verify your perception that the Division of Justice represents the USA of America and its residents, and never the non-public and particular person political or enterprise pursuits of the President.”
