The Department of Justice has demoted Ed Martin, a close ally to President Donald Trump, in a move that has stripped him of most of his authority.
Two people who spoke under the condition of anonymity who were familiar with the DOJ move told The Washington Post on Monday that Martin was sidelined and will no longer chair the DOJ's Weaponization Working Group, "which was tasked with reviewing special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump and other perceived examples of 'prosecutorial abuse.'" The decision has not yet been announced publicly.
Martin, who has not been at the DOJ for a year, was expected to leave the department entirely, CNN reported. He was initially picked to help implement Trump's key priorities. The Weaponization Group has not released any information, but will apparently meet daily. Trump has been critical that the DOJ has not been active enough to pursue legal action against his political enemies.
Several sources have told CNN that Martin "wasn't doing much," CNN reported
"Martin will continue to serve as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney but will no longer work at Justice Department headquarters. Instead, his office will be located in another DOJ building in Northeast Washington, pulling him away from the attorney general and the most powerful figures in the department, according to a person familiar with the move," The Post reported. "The pardon office is in that Northeast Washington building."
He was expected to leave his role in the coming weeks.
“President Trump appointed Ed Martin as pardon attorney, and Ed continues to do a great job in that role,” a Justice Department spokesperson said.
Martin had no previous trial experience before Trump appointed him to serve as the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. He was a longtime antiabortion activist and helped organize and finance the rally following the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
When Martin did not have enough Senate support to confirm him, Trump pivoted and gave him a senior Justice Department role that did not require Senate approval, The Post reported.
Martin has been behind the unsuccessful legal attacks on Trump's adversaries, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI director James B. Comey and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Federal prosecutors have questioned Martin, along with Trump’s Federal Housing Administration Director Bill Pulte, known as an attack dog for the president, were at the center of a Maryland grand jury investigation for hires that were made to pursue investigations aimed at Trump’s critics.
