Donald Trump
’s pick for U.S.
Attorney
The District of Columbia has been featured on Russian state media over 150 times, as stated in a recent report.
From August 2016 to April 2024, Ed Martin, who currently serves as the acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., was featured as a guest analyst on channels owned by the Russian state, namely RT and Sputnik.
The Washington Post
reports.
Martin helped organize the
“Stop the Steal” movement promoting the baseless position that the 2020 election was rigged against
Trump.
He has likewise committed to taking legal action against anybody who obstructs him.
Elon Musk’s DOGE work
, and garnered attention last month for his
history of inflammatory remarks.
When Trump nominated him for his new role, he didn’t originally reveal his appearances on Russian television.
Following the deaths of numerous individuals due to a chemical assault in Syria during April 2017, Martin went on RT America to suggest that it could be plausible this event was “fabricated” in Washington by those advocating for conflict in Syria.
The Trump White House
denounced
the attack, blamed the Syrian government, and ordered a missile strike. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
said
at the time that the United States “fabricated the whole story in order to have a pretext” for a missile strike.
In early 2022, according to reports, Martin stated during another appearance that there was “no indication” of an increasing Russian military presence at Ukraine’s borders. Approximately a week after this statement, Russia initiated a conflict with Ukraine.
In March of that same year, he proposed that an opportunity for collaboration between the U.S. and Russia had been overlooked during Trump’s initial term.
“We needed to be allies with nuclear powers like Russia,” he said on Sputnik, the
Post
Trump understood that what mattered was being allied with the most formidable figures on the streets. He was prepared to form alliances with North Korea and Putin as well.
Martin neglected to mention these appearances in his disclosures.
Senate Judiciary Committee
The questionnaire, which inquiries pertain to media engagements, was mentioned by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who serves as the ranking member of the committee, in a statement released on Wednesday.
“The 150 unreported appearances Mr. Martin made on Russian state television up until April of last year—while Russia was intensively attacking Ukraine—raise additional doubts regarding his suitability for the role of U.S. Attorney. These concerns were highlighted by his inappropriate conduct during his tenure as Interim U.S. Attorney,” stated Senator Durbin. He mentioned that this situation underscores deeper issues with Mr. Martin’s fitness for the position.
Post
The report emphasized the necessity for Martin to provide testimony under oath regarding his connections with Russia.
A representative for Martin communicated to the
Post
On Tuesday, he stated that “he has revealed all the recognized connections in a supplementary letter to the Senate” over the last couple of days.
When questioned regarding Martin’s appearances on Russian state media, the White House supported Trump’s appointment.
“President Trump made a brilliant choice in selecting Ed Martin to serve a full, permanent term as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. With a distinguished record of service, Ed is the perfect leader to restore law and order and make our Nation’s Capital safe and beautiful once again,” a spokesperson told the newspaper.
The senator from Illinois, alongside other members of the Democratic Party,
last month requested the D.C. bar launch a disciplinary investigation into Martin,
citing his dismissal of charges against his own client, a January 6 defendant, and his use of the “threat of prosecution to intimidate government employees and chill the speech of private citizens.”
This week, a team of ex-January 6 prosecutors likewise
asked
The D.C. bar was asked to look into Martin’s actions, stating that during his short tenure, he has shown “a basic miscomprehension of the duties of a federal prosecutor.” This includes investigating his political rivals, assisting clients whom he formerly defended, and engaging in improper communication with individuals he should not have interacted with directly.
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