Trump picks Jan 6 rioters’ lawyer to lead office that prosecuted them

President Donald Trump has chosen a lawyer who defended January 6 rioters, denied the results of the 2020 election, and was present outside the White House on January 6, to lead the legal office that prosecuted the rioters.

Edward Martin, the former head of the Missouri Republican Party, was picked by Trump as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia on January 20, the day that Trump pardoned almost all of the January 6 rioters.

Newsweek contacted the White House for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Martin’s loyalty to Trump, his repeated “Stop the Steal” claims in 2020 despite the election being certified, and his continued support of the rioters have raised concerns that he will use his new office for retribution against those who prosecuted January 6 cases.

While former President Biden preemptively pardoned the January 6 Committee, Martin has already ordered internal reviews of prosecutors who used a certain felony charge against Capitol rioters, according to The Associated Press.

What To Know

Since his first day in office, Trump has been working to erase the legacy of January 6, from—as CNN reported—removing the pages about January 6 rioters from the DOJ website to releasing every rioter from federal prison, including those convicted of violence against the police.

His blanket pardons are unpopular among several Republican lawmakers, families of rioters, and police officers, who have said he should keep violent insurrectionists in prison.

Martin spoke against the initial prosecution of all rioters, saying that 99.9 percent of those charged were “normal people doing normal things: sauntering around and through the Capitol grounds and building.”

Trump’s new U.S. Attorney for D.C. also defended at least three rioters, per court filings, including a member of the far-right militant organization the Proud Boys, who pleaded guilty to his charges.

The felony charge that Martin is investigating within his department is the use of the “obstructing an official proceeding” charge, which the Supreme Court ruled could only be used against Capitol rioters if there was proof that they tried to tamper with or destroy documents.

Martin has called the use of this charge a “great failure of our office,” and, in the words of Trump ally Mike Davis, he will “clean house.”

The President’s Justice Department has already fired at least 12 prosecutors who worked on the federal criminal case against Trump, according to NPR.

An anonymous former federal prosecutor told the AP that although Martin had not been confirmed by the Senate—meaning he is only the interim, or “acting,” U.S. attorney—federal prosecutors had been directed to remove “acting” from his title in court papers.

Martin was initially tapped in December to be the chief of staff at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It is unclear why the President asked him to change roles.

What People Are Saying

Ed Martin on his swearing in: “I want to thank President Donald Trump for trusting me to help him reestablish law and order in Washington, D.C. It is the honor of my lifetime to accept his nomination as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. I pledge to work as hard as he does for America, even though no one outworks him. I want to thank my wife and family for carrying me to this day, and I pray to the Lord Jesus Christ for the continued wisdom and courage I have always found in Him.”

Alexis Loeb, former deputy chief of the Capitol Siege section of the Justice Department: “Based on the public reporting, it appears that he is in this role purely to execute on the president’s political priorities more so than the work of protecting public safety in Washington.”

What Happens Next

In order to become the official U.S. Attorney for D.C., Martin must be confirmed by the Senate. Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, and Bill Cassidy, have all spoken out against the blanket pardons of January 6 rioters, which may play a role in whether he can gain enough votes to be confirmed.

However, he still has power to act in his capacity as the acting head of the department without Senate approval.