Trump’s U.S. Attorney Pick Faces Ethics Violations and Backlash from Career Prosecutors

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Alex Jane
February 23, 2025
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8 minutes read

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has nominated acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin to serve in the role permanently, but his tenure may already be unraveling due to mounting ethics violations and widespread discontent among career prosecutors.

According to a report on Thursday, Martin, who lacks prosecutorial experience, has already alienated much of his office while accumulating serious ethical missteps. Slate detailed Martin’s unconventional background as a former talk radio host and a staffer for the late far-right activist Phyllis Schlafly, a staunch Trump supporter.

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In 2016, Martin controversially declared that it wasn’t racist for Trump supporters to hate Mexicans because “Mexican isn’t a race.” Four years later, he amplified Stop the Steal conspiracy theories and likened the January 6 insurrection to “Mardi Gras.”

His actions since taking office have drawn scrutiny. Slate’s Brendan Ballou reported that Martin’s initial moves as U.S. Attorney were legally dubious and ethically questionable. “Most egregiously, he moved to dismiss the case against a Jan. 6 defendant whom he himself had represented, an astounding conflict of interest that has already inspired at least one bar complaint against him,” wrote Ballou.

Additionally, Martin frequently uses social media to make inflammatory statements, including proposing legal action against individuals critical of government officials and falsely accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of threatening Supreme Court justices. He also posted threats on X (formerly Twitter) suggesting that former special counsel Jack Smith should be prosecuted for receiving free legal assistance from an outside firm.

Legal ethics guidelines prohibit public discussion of ongoing investigations or using prosecutorial power to shame individuals, putting Martin’s actions in direct violation of professional conduct standards. These missteps could not only expose him to bar discipline but also jeopardize his ability to prosecute cases, as defendants could argue that his actions tainted jury pools.

Ballou noted that internal resistance to Martin is growing: “Most recently, the office’s top criminal prosecutor resigned rather than follow his allegedly improper orders. One former prosecutor in the office said, ‘He’s a fantastically bad manager — a tone-deaf bully who inspires ridicule rather than trust.’ Perhaps as a result, Martin’s officewide emails are often leaked, including a message complaining about leaks.”

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Unlike some of Trump’s other far-right Justice Department appointees, such as Emil Bove, who possess prosecutorial experience and understand legal procedures well enough to leverage the system, Martin appears to lack even the fundamental skills necessary to advance Trump’s agenda, Ballou argued.

“If, through public protest, his office can be persuaded not to go along with his illegal or unethical plans, those plans, by and large, can be stopped,” Ballou concluded.