Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s Justice Department weaponization chief, referred to as for the resignation of New York Attorney General Letitia James and posed for photos outside of her Brooklyn residence final week – all as he’s conducting investigations into her conduct.
His investigation of James, whose workplace introduced civil fraud expenses towards Trump, his grownup sons, and the Trump Organization leading to a half-billion-dollar judgment final 12 months, is one of a number of the Justice Department has launched into the president’s perceived enemies.
But since starting of the investigation into James, Martin has taken a number of uncommon steps that fall outside the norms of prosecutorial conduct. He despatched a letter to James’ lawyer Abbe Lowell on August 12 suggesting New York’s prime regulation enforcement officer resign, he appeared outside of James’ residence with a colleague trailed by a photographer for the New York Post, and appeared on Fox News pledging to take an expansive look into all of James’ conduct.
In video obtained by NCS, Martin might be seen posing for photos outside of James’ residence.
“This is a criminal investigation, not social media,” mentioned Elie Honig, NCS’s senior authorized analyst. “A stunt like that might get clicks, but it’s patently inappropriate for a prosecutor to do and it certainly will give James and her attorney a basis to oppose any indictment, to argue it was prejudicial to the jury pool and that an indictment was brought in bad faith.”
The conduct is “outside the bounds of DOJ and ethics rules,” Lowell mentioned in a response to Martin.
Justice Department coverage typically prohibits discussing prison investigations publicly, and attorneys usually are not imagined to pursue investigations for political means or to go on fishing expeditions.
DOJ declined to remark for this story.
Martin’s job titles and investigations
Martin, a ring-wing firebrand who pushed a retribution agenda that caught Trump’s consideration, holds 4 titles on the Justice Department: US Pardon Attorney, Special Attorney for Mortgage Fraud, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and director of the Weaponization Working Group.
He can also be investigating one other Trump enemy, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who led congressional investigations into the 2016 presidential election.
Both James and Schiff deny any wrongdoing.
“We’re gonna go to the very bottom of the facts, and if somebody did something wrong, we’re not only gonna hold them accountable, we’re also gonna look at everything else that they’ve been doing. Because when you’re a liar, you lie not just on one thing,” Martin mentioned on Fox News on Sunday. “When you’re a cheater, you cheat not just on one thing. When you’re doing corruption, you generally don’t just do it on one thing.”
Grand juries in Virginia and New York are investigating James, individuals acquainted with the matter have instructed NCS. The New York grand jury subpoenaed James and is looking into her investigations into the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association. A separate investigation in Virginia is trying into whether or not she dedicated mortgage fraud on mortgage purposes.
Lowell punched again in a letter Monday to Martin addressing his name for her resignation, “Let me be clear: that will not happen here.”
“Were there any doubts as to your political retributive mission, you erased them in your first statements about your appointment when you stated that your assignment is to ‘stick the landing.’ A responsible and credible federal prosecutor is not a pommel horse gymnast,” Lowell wrote.
Lowell has mentioned the investigations are on “baseless and long-discredited allegations.”
Before coming into authorities, Martin was an organizer within the “Stop the Steal” motion that claimed the 2020 election was rigged and later defended quite a few individuals charged within the January 6, 2021, riot on the US Capitol. Martin was tapped by Trump to function interim US lawyer for the District of Columbia, the place he rapidly moved to dismiss January 6-related instances and fired prosecutors concerned in them.
His tenure was tumultuous, and his nomination was dropped after bipartisan opposition.
Martin mentioned Sunday on Fox that he was in New York and New Jersey for conferences final week and went to view James’ residence.
“I wanted to lay eyes on it,” he mentioned. “You gotta get a sense of what is actually at stake.”