WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Tuesday that he would be placing a hold on the nomination of Edward Martin to be the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) cited Martin’s “troubling conduct in his months as Interim U.S. Attorney” as a reason for the hold.
Since being sworn in as the interim U.S. Attorney on Jan. 20, Martin has been criticized for firing or demoting staff connected with the prosecution of January 6 cases and a controversial social media post where he referred to himself and other U.S. Attorneys as “President Trump’s lawyers,” among other concerns.
In a statement, Schiff said Martin has already “abused” his role.
“For the past nine weeks, Ed Martin has consistently undermined the independence and abused the power of the U.S. Attorney’s office in DC – openly threatening and intimidating political opponents, dismissing charges against his own clients, firing public servants for their roles in legitimate investigations, and using his office as a cudgel to chill dissent and free speech,” Schiff said, in part.
Martin attended a monthly meeting for the Anacostia Coordinating Council in Southeast D.C. last week – his first community forum. There, he drilled home his commitment to the local community.
“We’re going to have the resources, we’re going to have the people, we’re going to listen in a way that will make DC safer,” he said at the forum. “We won’t be able to do it perfectly, but we will not be able to do it well if we do not do it together.”
The crowd was often tense and eager to ask questions.
D.C. Shadow Senator Ankit Jain grilled Martin about decisions to fire or demote staff reportedly connected with the prosecution of January 6 cases.
“One of the reasons you need to hire more people is because you fired eight percent of your staff,” Jain said at the time.
In a post on social media on April 1, Schiff called Martin a “one-man wrecking ball” who has threatened political opponents and fired public servants.
“With all of the power I am afforded as a United States Senator, I intend to place a hold on his nomination and block attempts to jam through his appointment at every stage,” he continued.
DC News Now reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Edward Martin, but has not yet received a response.
