Busted: Video contradicts Trump official's apology for praising Nazi sympathizer

President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as Washington, D.C.’s top federal prosecutor is facing fresh scrutiny after newly surfaced videos and podcasts appear to contradict his public apology for praising a Capitol riot defendant with known Nazi sympathies, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin has apologized this week for defending Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a white supremacist who once photographed himself posing as Adolf Hitler and has a documented history of anti-Semitic statements. Martin claimed he was unaware of Hale-Cussanelli’s extremist views when he publicly praised him.

But recordings dating back to 2023 show Martin not only knew of the allegations but repeatedly defended Hale on his podcasts, dismissing the accusations as smears and calling Hale-Cussanelli a friend who was “slurred” by the allegations, according to the Post.

At the time of the Capitol attack, Martin was a conservative activist involved in “Stop the Steal” organizing efforts. He used his platform to support riot defendants in court and through a nonprofit run by Hale-Cusanelli’s aunt, the publication said.

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“Now he’s working as D.C.’s top prosecutor and is President Donald Trump’s pick to remain in that role,” the report added.

In an interview with “Forward,” which has a Jewish audience, Martin said he had not known about Hale-Cusanelli’s background when he introduced him during an awards ceremony at President Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster last year. At the time, Martin called Hale-Cusanelli "extraordinary."

"I'm sorry," Martin told “Forward.” “I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I’ve now seen it... At the time, I didn’t know it."

But, as the Post pointed out on Friday, six weeks before the awards ceremony, “Martin interviewed Hale-Cusanelli about the allegations and defended him in a more than hour-long episode of his ‘Pro America Report’ podcast, which he hosted from 2020 until early this year.”