Interim U.S. Attorney for DC Edward Martin on March 25. Photo by Getty Images via The Washington Post

By Jacob Kornbluh April 29, 2025

Ed Martin, the Trump-nominated prosecutor who apologized last week for his past praise of a Nazi sympathizer, is facing fresh congressional scrutiny over his claim that he wasn’t aware of the full extent of Timothy Hale-Cusanelli’s antisemitic views and conduct.

Newly surfaced videos and podcasts suggest Martin may have given senators misleading statements under oath about his knowledge of Hale-Cusanelli’s past and about his own comments, which include comparing former President Joe Biden to Adolf Hitler and questioning American Jews’ commitment to their religion if they vote for democrats.

In written responses reviewed by the Forward, dated before Martin’s apology, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he was “not aware of” Hale-Cusanelli’s “comments and views” about Jews until after giving him an award in August 2024.

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He also said he is “not close” with Hale-Cusanelli. “I am aware of his name and some details involving his case, and I otherwise do not have close, consistent interactions with him,” Martin wrote in the 113-page document, which is submitted under oath.

However, according to a CNN report, Martin interviewed Hale-Cusanelli at least five times on his podcasts last year, including twice before the August award ceremony. They discussed court records that indicated Hale-Cusanelli showed up to work at a naval weapons station with a “Hitler mustache” and told coworkers that “Hitler should have finished the job,” among other documented antisemitic behavior.

When asked by the committee how many times he’s interviewed Hale-Cusanelli, Martin mentioned only a July 2 interview, in which Martin called him a “friend” and described Hale-Cusanelli’s decision to photograph himself with a Hitler mustache as “not your best moment.”

“This individual’s comments and pictures are abhorrent and deplorable,” Martin wrote to the senators. “I condemn his comments and pictures in the strongest possible terms. Additionally, I condemn all antisemitism in any form.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee who first requested to hold a hearing before a vote on Martin’s nomination for U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., said his written responses “leave me with even more questions and further underscore the need to hear live testimony from Ed Martin at a hearing.”

Durbin added that Martin made “a number of false statements that are easily debunked” and dodged “at least 80 questions outright.” If Martin is not confirmed by May 20, his role as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. will end, according to federal law. The job is perhaps the highest profile of the U.S. attorneys, with its frequent focus on political cases. Martin has already launched multiple investigations of Democrats, leading to accusations he is politicizing the role.

In his interview with the Forward last week, Martin said he “didn’t know” of Hale-Cusanelli’s statements when he called him “extraordinary” while emceeing an awards ceremony last year at President Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “I would not have lifted up someone had I known what he said,” Martin said. “I wouldn’t have done it.”

In a follow-up statement after being asked to address his July podcast remarks, Martin said he “was unaware of the full scope of his repulsive behavior which, when you look at it altogether, is clearly far more serious than a singular act that, by itself, might look like a mistake.”

Martin compared Biden to Hitler

In his Senate responses, Martin also condemned Hale-Cusanelli’s remarks — revealed to investigators after the Army reservist was charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — that if he were a Nazi, “he would kill all the Jews and eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Martin was one of three senior officers of a nonprofit led by Hale-Cusanelli’s aunt, Cynthia Hughes, which raised money for Jan. 6 defendants.

“I condemn antisemitism in any form, and I was not aware of these statements when he received the award,” Martin wrote to senators. “This statement is abhorrent, deplorable, and inappropriate.”

Citing his criticism of comparisons between Trump and Hitler, the committee asked Martin, “Have you ever equated a Democratic politician to Adolf Hitler?” Martin told senators, “I do not recall doing so.” But on an archived episode of his show The Pro America Report, he did.

NEW: In this audio of 2022, Ed Martin, now nominee for U.S. Attorney for DC, compared former President Joe Biden to Adolf Hitler. ⬇️

Martin seemed to mislead senators in written testimony about his knowledge of Nazi sympathizer’s past and his own controversial comments. pic.twitter.com/tOGacrJhoR

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) April 29, 2025

“There’s only one character on the world stage right now, who actually is utilizing some of the techniques, maybe many of them, that were used by people like Hitler and by Hitler himself,” Martin said on an October 2022 episode, “and that’s Joe Biden. President Joe Biden is Hitler…

“He has so Hitler gone that instead of talking about how to get peace in the world, Ukraine, Russia, he just talks about war. Why? To get you fearful, to get you nervous,” Martin said. “The Hitler character Joe Biden utilizes his power to try to intimidate world leaders into acting on his behalf.”

Martin also said he did not recall repeating President Donald Trump’s disparagement of American Jews who vote for democrats. But on his show during the 2024 election, he said, “If you identify yourself as someone who thinks, ‘Hey, I have something special in my life, my heritage, I’m Jewish American,’ you can’t vote for this administration.”

In addition to Hale-Cusanelli, senators also pressed Martin about his association with Jack Posobiec, an alt-right conspiracy theorist with white nationalist ties. Martin repeatedly interacted with him on social media, calling him “valuable” and “incredible.”

Presented with screenshots of several of Posobiec’s tweets that invoked antisemitic tropes, Martin responded to each of them by saying, “I do not understand this tweet.”

One of the tweets was a video Posobiec posted at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial, after the Anti-Defamation League added him to a list of alt-right influencers; the tweet said the ADL “would be wise to remember what happened the last time people made lists of undesirables.” Asked whether he regrets promoting Posobiec or his work, Martin simply said, “no.”

Martin didn’t immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

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