President Trump said on Monday that he had nominated the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, Ed Martin, a far-right election denier who sat on a board that raised cash for the Capitol rioters and pushed for their mass reprieve, to run the office on a permanent basis.
Mr. Martin, who has minimal prosecutorial experience but a hyperpartisan social media presence, must first be confirmed by the Senate, whose members were forced into hiding by the mob of Trump loyalists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Mr. Martin’s nomination marks a complete reversal for an office that formed the core of one of the Justice Department’s most complex investigations, swapping leaders committed to holding rioters accountable for a man who stood in the crowd outside the Capitol and defied a congressional subpoena to describe his role in the day’s events.
He could also play a starring role in Mr. Trump’s accelerating effort to seek retribution on those involved in his two federal indictments and the prosecution of his supporters. Mr. Martin has already started an internal review of Capitol riot cases in his office and was tapped by Attorney General Pam Bondi to help scrutinize the so-called weaponization of the department during the Biden administration.
Mr. Trump wrote on his social media site that Mr. Martin had been “fighting tirelessly to restore Law and Order, and Make Our Nation’s Capitol Safe and Beautiful Again.”
“He will get the job done,” Mr. Trump added.
Until Mr. Trump’s announcement on Monday, it had not been clear whether Mr. Martin, 54, would be selected to permanently lead the office. While many congressional Republicans have publicly cheered him on, some senators and their aides have privately questioned whether he has the temperament and skills to do the job.
