Will Donald Trump succeed in his long-standing goal of weaponizing the Justice Department against his political opponents?
Much of the answer relies on a man appointed to head the US Lawyer's Office in Washington, DC. It's longtime conservative activist Ed Martin – or, according to his X-handle, “Eagle Ed Martin.”
Martin made his priorities unmistakable. He wants to target Democratic politicians, the media, progressive groups, and officials who investigated Trump. Meanwhile, he defends the Jan. 6 mob and is looking for the opposite when Republicans get in trouble. His office dismisses a lawsuit against former MP Jeff Fortenbury (R-NE) and approves DC police demands to arrest Rep. Corey Mills (R-FL) for domestic violence. I couldn't do it.
DOJ prosecutors have taken oaths to the Constitution and have explained that they normally manage justice in fairness to their mission. However, Martin publicly called his team “President Trump.” [sic] Social Media Lawyer.
There is no mystery as to why this is happening. This is what Trump wants. In fact, Martin initially took the job as a temporary appointee. However, according to CNN, Trump is excited about what he is doing and decides to nominate him forever for the post.
So who is Ed Martin – and how did he become a hatcher for the politicization of Trump's justice?
The answer speaks much about defending political violence, adopting legal combat against Democrats and progressives, and the complete loyalty to Trump, which have become tickets for Republicans' progress today.
Martin spent years in the trench of conservative politics
A review of Martin's career history suggests that he has not changed much personally. He was a passionate self-promoter who was caught up in the frequencies for a long time and faced with ethical questions wherever he goes.
In fact, Martin spent more than 20 years at the trench of conservative activities. This focused primarily on Missouri politics. After distinguishing himself in the legal work of anti-abortion advocates, he was appointed Chief of Staff for Missouri Governor Matt Blunt (R) in 2006.
However, Martin's mission in the state government was controversial. “I thought Ed was very high before he took the job,” the former state employee told the St. Louis Riverfront Times in 2010. “When he gained that power, he became a ruthless animal.” It also turns out to be short-lived. Martin resigned more than a year after being appointed after a scandal over whether he was compliant with the state's public record laws.
However, Martin was active in the world of conservative advocacy, running nonprofits like Missouri Roundtable and Missouri Club for Growth, and in 2009 Obama He helped organize St. Louis' first “tea party” in protest against the president.
After he himself tried to acquire the civil servant himself, he lost his congressional bid in 2010 and lost to the state attorney general in 2012 – he was appointed chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, but he was notified to his two. The annual stint put the party into debt.
Fortunately, he was able to invade himself with Phyllis Schullafrie, a well-known conservative activist based in St. Louis. (He defeated another candidate, former MP Michelle Bachmann, for his job). This was again to bring about intense controversy and legal proceedings. However, Martin helped arrange for Shaffrey's support for Trump in the 2016 primary. (It seems like a distant memory now, but this was not certain as many conservative activists liked Ted Cruz and viewed Trump as ideologically suspicious.)
Once Trump took office, Martin had another short gig as CNN's pro-Trump commentator. He ended when he lightly paraded the two co-panelists as “black racist.” Moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, he hosted a radio show and made a failed bid for his local office, but remained a rather vague person.
Stopped theft and made an impact on Martin on January 6th.
For him, that changed on January 6th. Martin embraced Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 results early, supporting organising and speaking at a rally in Washington, D.C., and urged Congress not to prove Biden's victory. (Steel organizer Ali Alexander testified that Martin was “a kind of mentor” to him.
On January 6th, Martin tweeted that he was “on the Capitol Building now,” and that “nothing was out of control for the wild crowd.” Ignore #fakenews. (For each NBC news, the video footage is outside Martin on Capitol's premises, but there is no evidence that he has entered a restricted area or the building itself.)
Much of the bipartisan political establishment soon rebelled in fear in an attack on the Capitol. However, in February 2021, Martin dismissed it as a “Pelosi hoax.” He ultimately replied on behalf of the three riots on January 6, who were charged with assaulting a police officer, and ignored the House for his testimony to the committee on January 6, saying, “January 6.” “The day was staged,” he ignored the high-level conspiracy theory.
All this solidified his prominent new place in Trump World. Loyalty is more important than anything else. The first indication of his new position at the GOP came in May 2024 when Martin was appointed deputy policy director for the Republican National Convention's Platform Committee. After Trump won, he was initially tapped to become Chief of Staff of the Bureau of Management and Budget, but at one point he was tapped instead for his job as a US lawyer in DC.
After all, years of tireless conservative activities seemed like Martin would go anywhere. He needed a willingness to defend the vulnerable to get his big break.
But will he succeed in prosecuting Trump's enemy?
So, will Martin actually succeed in prosecuting Trump's enemy and bending the offices of hundreds of prosecutors to his will?
The drama has already unfolded behind the scenes. Last week, Martin wanted to freeze assets for the Biden administration's Climate Change Grant Initiative, but Dennis Chung, criminal director at the U.S. Lawyer's Office, said he wouldn't do that without seeing evidence of the crime. . Martin then told her to resign, and she did.
But while Martin's efforts so far have also come with many dull things that seem appropriate for social media, it is unlikely to work very well in court. For example, he launched an initiative called “Operation Whirlwind.” (This is named after a five-year-old comment from Chuck Schumer, who told the conservative Supreme Court justice that “released the whirlwind and you gave the price to oppose your abortion rights.” I'll pay.”
It is therefore not clear whether Martin can build a team that can create a politicized case that is plausible enough to hold up in court. But even investigations that do not bring about charges can be horrifically financially catastrophic for the target.
Martin also said at some point that the Senate confirmation would be required, and Sen. Tom Tillis (R-NC) said last week that a “real challenge” could be confirmed. But Senate Republicans have fallen for all Trump's candidates to date. Do they really reject Trump's favorite prosecutor?
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