Trump pulls nomination of Ed Martin, the DC prosecutor under fire for ties to Nazi sympathizer
Martin apologized for his praise of Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, but misled the Senate about how much he knew about the Nazi sympathizer’s past
Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. Edward Martin on March 25. Photo by Getty Images via The Washington Post
By Jacob Kornbluh May 8, 2025
President Donald Trump has pulled the nomination of a key ally whose Senate confirmation was in peril. Ed Martin, currently serving as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., and Trump’s nominee for the permanent role, came under intense scrutiny for his past praise of a Nazi sympathizer, failure to disclose fully to the Senate committee considering him and involvement in Jan. 6 cases.
“He wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump said in a gaggle with reporters in the Oval Office Thursday morning. “But we have somebody else that will be great.”
Martin’s nomination was in peril after he failed to disclose past appearances on networks funded and directed by the Russian government and misled members of the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath about his praise of Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a Nazi sympathizer and and white supremacist who was charged and served jail time for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Hale-Cusanelli has a history of making antisemitic statements, including saying Hitler should have finished the job and expressing a desire to kill and eat Jews.
Martin apologized for his past praise of Hale-Cusanelli and saidd he wasn’t aware of the full extent of his publicly-known antisemitic views and conduct. However, newly surfaced videos and podcasts suggest Martin knew more than he disclosed about Hale-Cusanelli’s beliefs —and even made his own controversial remarks, including a comparison of former President Joe Biden to Adolf Hitler and questioning the religious commitment of American Jews who vote for Democrats.
A group of 11 American Jewish organizations joined Democrats on the Senate committee in their call to hold a public hearing to allow members to question Martin about what they described as “shocking conduct.”
“At a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high and hate-fueled violence is on the rise, we need a US Attorney who will meaningfully confront hate — not allow it to fester and grow,” the Jewish organizations wrote in a letter to the committee.
In his remarks on Thursday, Trump praised Martin as a “terrific person” and “really outstanding.” And he said he was “disappointed” that Martin didn’t get the support he needed to get him confirmed. “But that’s the way it works sometimes, Trump said.
Trump later announced that Martin had been appointed to lead the Weaponization Working Group at the Justice Department. The group’s mandate includes investigating Biden administration prosecutors involved in criminal and civil cases against Trump, as well as reviewing the prosecutions related to Jan. 6. The role doesn’t require Senate confirmation.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee who first requested to hold a hearing before a vote on Martin’s nomination, said he was “relieved” that the nomination was withdrawn. “Ed Martin’s commentary and affiliations left no doubt that he was not qualified to serve as the top law enforcement official for our nation’s capital,” Durbin said.
Jody Rabhan, chief strategy officer of the National Council of Jewish Women, which was one of the 11 Jewish organizations urging action, urged the White House “to put forward a nominee who is qualified, fair, and unequivocally committed to pursuing equal justice under the law and prosecuting hate in all its forms.”
