Though liberals in Congress have been dissatisfied with just about all of President Donald Trump's picks for key administration and agency roles, many have a particular dislike for his choice to serve as Washington D.C. United States Attorney.
As such, a group of Democrats from the Senate Judiciary Committee are now calling for a disciplinary probe -- and potential suspension -- of Ed Martin by the D.C. Bar, the professional body of which he is a member, as the Washington Examiner reports.
The Democrats pushing for an investigation of Martin is led by the committee's ranking member, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
According to the group, Martin is abusing the authority of his role by using potential prosecution as a method of intimidation against government employees.
The Durbin-led cadre of lawmakers has also suggested that Martin has taken improper steps in an effort to limit the speech of private citizens, also alleging that he has wrongfully continued to communicate with prior Jan. 6-related clients and defendants after assuming his new position, according to the Washington Times.
In their letter to the D.C. Bar, the Democrats declare, “Mr. Martin's conduct not only speaks to his fitness as a lawyer; his activities are part of a broader course of conduct by President Trump and his allies to undermine the traditional independence of Department of Justice investigations and prosecutions and the rule of law.”
The communication continued, “When a government lawyer, particularly one entrusted with a leadership role in the nation's foremost law enforcement agency, commits serious violations of professional conduct, it undermines the integrity of our justice system and erodes public confidence in it.”
Having clearly drawn the ire of the Democrats during the first weeks of the Trump administration, Martin has made no bones about his aggressive approach to his work, going so far as to use the nickname "The Eagle," as CBS News notes.
Martin's nomination to permanently serve as U.S. attorney for D.C. remains under consideration by the Senate, and in the meantime, he has been staking out a position as the sort of tough-on-crime prosecutor Republicans say the capital has long needed, given the role's unique jurisdiction that allows its occupant to tackle not just federal crimes but also offenses committed within the District of Columbia.
Taking seriously his ability to crack down on the rampant crime that has plagued D.C. in the last several years, Martin recently took to social media to warn, “Hey, thugs with guns, you hear that? Yup, we comin,” a reference to a memo he issued indicating that assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was imminent.
Martin has also drawn criticism from Democrats for having instructed his staff members to comply with a Department of Government Efficiency request for them to send a list of five things they had accomplished the week prior, an initiative that has courted controversy across the federal bureaucracy but is wholeheartedly supported by the president.
While Trump appears to have full confidence in Martin, given that he wants him to move from interim to permanent status in his current role, Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly has also launched a probe of the prosecutor, complaining that his statements “are directed exclusively at opponents of and express support for the Trump Administration, explicitly criticize the Biden Administration, publicize pending investigative activity by your office, and make assertions of fact for which there exists no evidence.”
The Durbin-led investigation request has been filed with the D.C. Bar's Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and thus far, that entity has not weighed in on its status, with its representative stating that “all matters in this office are confidential unless and until we bring formal charges.”
Whether the various complaints and probes of Martin's conduct ultimately go anywhere is something that remains to be seen, but it is clear that he is committed to furthering the Trump agenda in his unique, dual-jurisdictional role, and that is something the Democrats are sure to oppose at every turn.
