Senate Democrats seeking to block confirmation of prosecutor who championed Jan. 6 defendants

Senate Democrats are trying to make a stand against President Trump’s nominee for a prosecutor’s post in the District of Columbia, even as Mr. Trump’s nominations for key Cabinet and Justice Department posts have secured confirmation largely unscathed with only a handful of dissenting Republican votes 

Although Edward Martin is far from a household name, and is seeking a post that often operates outside of the national spotlight, his nomination for U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. has become a rallying point for Senate Democrats and Mr. Trump’s critics.

Martin is a longtime Trump loyalist, a figure in the 2020 Stop the Steal movement, served as a defense attorney in U.S. Capitol riot cases and acknowledges he was near the Capitol amid the crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, as he championed Trump’s false claims the 2020 election was “rigged.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are flooding the zone with arguments opposing Martin’s confirmation to the post, with speeches, social media videos, formal disciplinary complaints and parliamentary techniques that they did not employ for other top Justice Department nominees. Sen. Adam Schiff, a first-term California Democrat, publicly announced he will place a hold on Martin’s confirmation, seeking to slow down the proceedings.  Schiff said of Martin in an April 19 video, “this guy is patently unfit for office.”

Schiff and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, are pressing Republicans to hold a  confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Martin’s confirmation, a rare and provocative request in a chamber that rarely stages confirmation hearings for U.S. Attorneys.  If a hearing were held for Martin, it would be the first confirmation hearing for a U.S. Attorney in nearly 40 years, according to Senate staff.  

The U.S. Attorney for D.C. has one of the largest staffs and portfolios among federal prosecutors nationwide. The office prosecutes federal corruption cases in the nation’s capital. And it handled the largest criminal prosecution in American history: The more than 1,500 US Capitol Insurrection cases. Martin has criticized those cases.  

“The committee must hold a hearing and hear from Ed Martin directly, under oath,” Durbin said. “We must take our constitutional duty of advice and consent seriously.” 

Durbin and other Democrats have blasted Martin as a “loyalist” of Mr. Trump’s without the proper “temperament” to serve as leader of one of the largest federal prosecutors’ offices in America.

Schiff also criticized Martin’s lack of prior experience as a prosecutor, including at trial, “Let’s start off with his background experience:  He has none.”

Democrats have submitted dozens of additional questions to Martin about his work as a defense attorney for Jan. 6 defendants, including those accused of confronting police officers. They also blistered Martin for his initial wave of submissions to the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which he did not report dozens of media appearances with a Russian-aligned media outlet. Martin then provided a list of dozens of prior media interviews, including on the Russia-aligned RT Network, in a follow-up correspondence to the Judiciary Committee weeks later.

So far, their efforts to secure a public confirmation hearing for Martin have received no commitments from Republicans, who control the committee and Senate calendars. 

A spokesperson for Senate Judiciary chair Chuck Grassley, a longtime Iowa Republican, told CBS News the committee’s precedent is to not hold confirmation hearings for U.S. Attorney nominees. 

“It has long been Committee practice that we don’t hold hearings on U.S. Attorney nominations,” Grassley said on April 10. “Mr. Martin has received over 500 questions for the record from Senators on the committee, which is far more than the normal amount for a U.S. Attorney nominee. I’ve submitted questions for Mr. Martin as well. I believe the nominee is entitled to respond in writing, under our normal committee practice, before the committee takes further action.”

Unanimous Republican support will be necessary to secure a favorable report for Martin from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Martin’s newest batches of confirmation materials to the Senate include clips of a 2017 media interview with RT television, in which Martin is critical of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who would vote on Martin’s confirmation on the committee.   

In the June 2017 interview, Martin refers to Martin as “guy in the Senate” who was “making it difficult for Trump.” About Graham’s positions on matters involving Russia, Martin said Graham was “putting out this enemy position.”

Martin also authored or re-posted a series of social media posts between 2018 and 2021 which were critical of Graham, including on his positions on immigration and on the government’s handling of the COVID vaccine.

“LINDSEY GRAHAM, THE UNINVITED GUEST” by @AnnCoulter “Why does Sen. Lindsey Graham have a seat at the table on immigration?”

A spokesperson for Graham did not immediately return requests for comment to CBS News.

Last month, Senate Democrats filed a judicial misconduct complaint against Martin with the Washington, D.C. bar. The complaint cited a filing made in a Capitol riot case on Jan. 21, 2025, hours after Martin took over as acting U.S. Attorney.  

The complaint alleged, ” Mr. Martin personally submitted a motion to dismiss the eight felony counts and two misdemeanors against Joseph Padilla, who had already been convicted and sentenced for these charges. While in private practice, Mr. Martin represented Mr. Padilla in this very matter, and Mr. Martin sought this dismissal while still representing Mr. Padilla. By not recusing himself from this matter, Mr. Martin created an impermissible conflict of interest and appearance of impropriety by using his new government office to favor his client, whom he was defending from the very charges he sought to dismiss.”

A spokesman for Martin declined requests for comment from CBS News about the questions raised by Democrats or about his confirmation process.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has unique powers, serving as both a federal and local prosecutor in the nation’s capital. Martin has been serving as the acting U.S. Attorney since Inauguration Day. He has said he shares Mr. Trump’s view of the Capitol attack as a “day of love,” and he has already fired some of the prosecutors who handled Jan. 6 cases. 

In a 27-page submission to the Senate on behalf of his nomination, a copy of which was obtained by CBS News, Martin highlighted his litigation experience by pointing to two Jan. 6 cases in which he served as defense lawyer.

Martin refers to the U.S. Capitol siege as “the events of January 6, 2021 at the United States Capitol.” 

He flagged his work as “instrumental” in the defense of alleged Missouri Proud Boys member William Chrestman, who was convicted for confronting police, brandishing an ax and yelling vulgar threats at officers. Chrestman was sentenced to 55 months incarceration. Those convicted of crimes related to Jan. 6 were later pardoned by Mr. Trump on Inauguration Day.

Schiff posted a nine-minute social media video criticizing Martin last week. The video alleged Martin “came to the attention of President Trump, because he was one of the Stop the Steal lawyers.”  

Schiff also alleged Martin flattered Trump by authoring a series of coloring books that honor Trump. The coloring books illustrate and spotlight some of Trump’s prior social media posts and include colorable outlines of Trump and conservative media allies.

Martin listed the books in his most recent submission of background materials to the Judiciary Committee.