Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) tore into acting District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Ed Martin in a post on X, after it emerged that he sent a letter vaguely threatening criminal investigation against Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) for his comments critical of tech billionaire Elon Musk.
"Hey @USAEdMartin, I’m an American," said Walsh, a former Tea Party representative who turned against Trump shortly after his first election and has become one of his most outspoken conservative critics. "I have a right to call @elonmusk a d---. Just like I have a right to call Trump a Russian asset. It’s called the First Amendment. Hey Ed, take your government intimidation and shove it up your a--. Don’t you dare impinge upon my freedom."
The letter, which was revealed by Garcia on Thursday, came in response to an interview the lawmaker gave on CNN, in which he was asked how Democrats stop Musk's rapid moves to infiltrate government agencies, and he replied, "What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy."
ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'
"This sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk — an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you call a 'd---' — and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry," wrote Martin, who has no formal experience as a prosecutor and was appointed to the U.S. attorney's office by Trump after he pushed "Stop the Steal" conspiracy theories and defended Jan. 6 rioters in court. "We take threats against public officials very seriously. I look forward to your cooperation with my letter of inquiry after request. Thank you in advance for your assistance."
Garcia, for his part, did not disguise his disdain at the threat to prosecute him over political speech.
"So if you criticize Elon Musk, Trump’s DOJ will send you this letter. Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration. I will not be silenced," he wrote on multiple social media sites in response.
This is not the first time Martin, who is already racking up a long list of alleged ethics violations, has threatened people for exercising their First Amendment rights. He similarly issued a public warning of investigation over "threats" to Elon Musk's associates, right around the time people posted the names of software engineers who were helping Musk infiltrate government systems.
