Martin Says He’s Under Attorney Ethics Investigation

The Washington Post reports:

Justice Department official Ed Martin, whose nomination to serve as U.S. attorney in D.C. stalled in the Senate, is under investigation by an ethics office that handles attorney discipline in Washington, D.C., he said in an office-wide goodbye email Wednesday. On his last day as interim U.S. attorney before heading to the Justice Department, Martin alerted his office’s roughly 350 attorneys and 400 staff members to the matter while claiming his confidentiality had been violated. Martin alleged that the legal ethics office, called the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, had inappropriately notified a unit of his U.S. attorney’s office of the probe.

Martin identified the case number, 2025-D047, but not the specific allegations against him. Democratic lawmakers and groups have accused Martin of abusing his power, seeking the suspension of his law license or other penalties. In complaints lodged with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel’s chief, Hamilton P. “Phil” Fox, they alleged that Martin has used the threat of prosecution to intimidate and chill the speech of perceived adversaries such as lawmakers, protesters, journalists, medical journals and others he said opposed the agendas of President Donald Trump or billionaire adviser Elon Musk.

Read the full article. After even Senate Republicans balked at confirming him as DC’s head prosecutor, Trump appointed Martin to lead the DOJ’s so-called “weaponization” investigation. Martin is now also in charge of vetting requests for presidential pardons.