Former Trump Nominee To Take Another Position Inside Administration
President Donald Trump’s plan to install Ed Martin as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia came to an abrupt halt last week—not because of opposition from Democrats or the usual media outcry, but due to a surprising block from within Republican ranks.
In an unexpected twist, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a Republican facing re-election in a key swing state, stood in the way, citing Martin’s defense of January 6 defendants and his alignment with Trump’s mass pardon strategy as deal-breakers.
Ed Martin, a seasoned legal figure and former head of the Missouri GOP, had already been serving as the acting U.S. Attorney for D.C., where he reportedly oversaw a dramatic 25% drop in violent crime. Backed by Trump and influential conservative media figures, Martin seemed poised to secure the permanent role—until Tillis intervened. According to Martin, he and the president were blindsided.
“I believe we had the votes if we could get to the floor,” Martin told The Daily Wire, expressing disappointment that Tillis had not just raised objections but effectively tanked the nomination by signaling that others in the Senate would follow his lead. Tillis, citing moral objections to Martin’s public support of January 6 defendants, especially those charged under the now-controversial 1512 statute, refused to back him for the role in D.C., despite saying he might have supported Martin elsewhere.
The blowback from conservative commentators was swift. Charlie Kirk blasted Tillis on air, accusing him of sabotaging Trump’s agenda and threatening his re-election chances. “You are now jeopardizing this hard-won Senate seat in North Carolina,” Kirk warned. Vince Coglianese echoed that sentiment, telling his listeners to bombard Tillis’s office with calls demanding Martin’s confirmation. In their eyes, Tillis wasn’t just opposing a nominee—he was opposing the MAGA base.
Tillis’s criticism centered on Martin’s unapologetic stance on January 6. According to Martin, their meeting was dominated by Tillis’s deeply negative view of anyone who entered the Capitol that day. That rigidity frustrated Martin, who sees much of the prosecution surrounding January 6 as politically motivated and legally dubious. He was particularly unsettled by Tillis’s dismissal of Ashli Babbitt’s death, which Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch said Tillis “mocked” in private discussions.
Despite the failed nomination, Trump wasn’t left without a plan. On May 8, he pivoted quickly, naming Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C.—a move that satisfied some conservative factions but left others questioning why Martin had been sidelined.
Martin, for his part, seems anything but bitter. Rather than retreat, he’s stepping into an arguably more influential post: leading the Department of Justice’s newly formed Weaponization Working Group, a position that comes bundled with associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney duties. This appointment aligns him squarely with Trump’s larger plan to expose what the former president calls the political targeting of conservatives.
“We have to let the sunshine in,” Martin told The Daily Wire. “Let people see what went on,” he said of the ongoing investigations into government overreach and selective prosecution. For Martin, it’s not just about pushing back—it’s about holding people accountable, naming names, and restoring public trust.