Ed Martin, a close ally of US President Donald Trump who held several roles at the Justice Department, is leaving the administration, Trump said on Friday. In a social media post, Trump said Martin was stepping down as the department’s pardon attorney to “fight Legal Battles” linked to this year’s midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election.
Trump said Martin would play a role in election-related efforts as the administration sharpens its focus on voting ahead of the midterms, which will decide control of the US House and Senate for the final two years of his presidency. “I know he will do an outstanding job, ensure Free, Fair, and Honest Elections, and strongly advance our Constitutional Rights,” Trump wrote.
Martin has been a controversial figure in the Trump administration since he was appointed last year as interim US attorney for the District of Columbia. In that role, he oversaw the dismissal of January 6 cases after Trump’s sweeping pardons. Trump later withdrew Martin’s nomination for the post after bipartisan concerns over his lack of prosecutorial experience and his support for rioters who violently attacked the Capitol.
Martin was then moved to Justice Department headquarters as pardon attorney and director of a group examining actions by President Joe Biden’s administration that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives. Then attorney general Pam Bondi also appointed him as a special attorney to help with mortgage fraud investigations involving Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
His actions in office often drew attention. During the mortgage fraud investigation involving James, Martin sent her a letter urging her to resign “as an act of good faith”. He also posed for photographs outside her Brooklyn home. The Justice Department’s case against James was later dismissed after a judge found that another prosecutor who filed the charges had been illegally appointed.
Martin was later pushed aside after clashes with Justice Department leadership and was removed as head of the Weaponisation Working Group, though he remained pardon attorney. On Friday, Attorney General Todd Blanche called him a “patriot who loves this nation” in a social media post. Martin did not immediately respond to a message, but reposted Trump’s announcement on X with the words: “Proud to serve. Fight Fight Fight.” Before his nomination as DC US attorney, Martin was a leader of Trump’s Stop the Steal movement, spoke at a rally in Washington on the eve of the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, and later served on the board of a non-profit that raised money for Capitol riot defendants and their families.
Trump’s announcement comes as his administration intensifies its messaging on voting before the midterms. The administration has focused on noncitizen voting, which is rare and which Trump has falsely described as a widespread source of fraud. The Justice Department has been seeking detailed state voter data to look for noncitizens, while Trump has been pressing Congress to pass a bill requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote before the November elections. The FBI has obtained voting records or election equipment from the most populous counties in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Michigan without saying what it was looking for. Trump has also issued two executive orders seeking control over some election operations, though the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules. Democratic state officials have raised concerns that the administration could send federal immigration agents to polling stations or deploy the military to voting locations or election offices, though administration officials have said there are no such plans. Taken together, Martin’s exit marks the end of a contentious tenure at the Justice Department as Trump places increasing emphasis on election-related battles ahead of the midterms and the 2028 presidential race.
With PTI Inputs
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