Republicans May Have Just Tanked Trump’s Controversial Nominee Ed Martin

WASHINGTON — Republicans may have just tanked President Donald Trump’s controversial nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Tuesday that he informed the White House that “I wouldn’t support his nomination.” It only takes one Republican in this committee to sink a nominee, assuming all Democrats vote no, which in this case, they would have. Martin’s nomination appears dead.

Tillis had already been raising concerns with Martin, a pro-MAGA election denier who’s been D.C.’s interim U.S. attorney since January, when Trump appointed him to the post.

Martin, who previously had no prosecutorial experience, has essentially spent the last few months proving his loyalty to Trump. He fired more than a dozen federal prosecutors involved in criminal cases tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He dropped cases against Jan. 6 defendants. He launched probes into Trump’s political enemies.

He also failed to disclose to the judiciary panel that he appeared on Russian state media more than 150 times from 2016 to 2024, something he was required to disclose. As recently as Monday, Martin had written to the committee again ― for the fourth time ― listing off dozens of media appearances he previously didn’t tell them about.

Here’s his Monday letter, obtained by HuffPost:

In his brief time as D.C.’s interim U.S. attorney, Martin has drawn opposition from 100 former assistant U.S. attorneys and faced at least four disciplinary complaints filed by the D.C. and Missouri bars.

Tillis said Tuesday his reason for opposing Martin was ultimately because he was nominated to be the U.S. attorney in the district where the Jan. 6 insurrection happened ― and where Martin dropped cases against people who participated in it.

“I’m thinking about future January 6ths,” the North Carolina Republican told HuffPost. “If there is, we got to make it very clear, you come into the Capitol, you’re going to get fined. You’re going to prison. You made a bad mistake.”

Beyond Tillis’ opposition, or perhaps because of it, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the judiciary panel, didn’t put Martin on the agenda for an upcoming business meeting on Thursday. That means the earliest the committee could hold a vote on Martin’s nomination, if they even plan to, is May 22, per committee rules.

Except Martin’s interim appointment expires on May 20. After that, the judges who serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia can appoint someone else to the spot.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond and an expert on the federal nominations process, said there’s no way the judges on D.C.’s district court will pick Martin for the job, given his role in dismissing the cases of Jan. 6 defendants.

“Trust me, the [District of D.C.] judges who wasted 4 years trying the J6 rioters will NOT be electing Ed Martin,” Tobias said in an email.

Asked Tuesday why he didn’t put Martin on this week’s schedule, Grassley gave a rambling response to a CNN reporter: “All I can say is, as the chairman of the committee … I want to put people on the agenda, that I can help the president be successful in his nominees. And that’s all I can say at this point.”

It’s up to the White House to decide whether to keep pressuring Republicans to push ahead with Martin, or to move on. The president posted a confusing message on social media late Monday about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. really hoping Martin gets confirmed.

“According to many but, in particular, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., his approval is IMPERATIVE in terms of doing all that has to be done to SAVE LIVES and to, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN,” Trump said. “Ed is coming up on the deadline for Voting and, if approved, HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.”

It’s certainly possible other Republicans don’t want to vote for Martin, but for now are quietly hiding behind Tillis. One source close to the nominations process, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said Martin doesn’t appear to have the votes to be confirmed in the committee or on the Senate floor.

The White House signaled Trump isn’t giving up on getting Martin confirmed.

“Ed Martin is a fantastic U.S. Attorney for D.C. and will continue to implement the President’s law-and-order agenda in Washington,” White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer said in a statement. “He is the right man for the job and we look forward to his confirmation.”