A battle between two high-ranking officials within President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) is now ending with one of them headed for the exits.
That's according to a Monday article in CNN, which reported that Ed Martin – who was once tapped as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia — is preparing to leave the DOJ in the coming weeks. This is apparently the doing of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who CNN said "made moves to significantly limit Martin’s ability to wield power."
Martin is currently the DOJ's pardon attorney, whose motto when screening potential candidates for pardons has reportedly been "no MAGA left behind." He has also led the Trump DOJ's "Weaponization Working Group," though one of CNN's unnamed sources told the network that Martin's efforts have been underwhelming to his superiors.
"The fact is that Ed was given all opportunity to lead this group and deliver on its mission, but he did nothing," the source said. "Others across the Department have since been making great progress and doing the work that should have been happening under Ed’s leadership."
Martin was seen as a particularly divisive figure, given his past history leading the "Stop the Steal" campaign after the 2020 election, and his work representing defendants charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. After Trump nominated him to be the DOJ's top prosecutor in Washington D.C., he failed to convince enough Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to support his confirmation.
Judiciary Committee member Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he was "not comfortable" voting to move Martin out of the committee to the full Senate due to his work representing January 6 defendants. Martin also hosted Nazi sympathizer Timothy Hale-Cusanelli on five different occasions after his ideology became publicly known.
"Tim Hale is an extraordinary guy. I’ve gotten to know him really well. I’d say we’re friends over the last few years, and especially in the last month since he’s been out of jail," Martin said of Hale-Cusanelli in July of 2024.
