Ed Martin to Leave Trump Administration After Serving in DOJ Roles
Key Takeaways
- •Trump announced that Ed Martin is leaving multiple Justice Department-related roles in the administration.
- •Martin was appointed in 2025 and later installed as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia before being nominated for the permanent job.
- •His nomination collapsed after Republican senators, including Thom Tillis, declined to advance it over his defense of Jan. 6 rioters.
- •Martin was removed from the Weaponization Working Group in February 2026, but a DOJ spokesperson said he remained pardon attorney afterward.
- •His departure comes as the administration continues reshuffling Justice Department leadership amid Capitol Hill scrutiny.
Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin is leaving the Trump administration, adding to a string of high-profile departures.
In a Friday post, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Martin will be leaving "as an Attorney, Director of the Weaponization Working Group, and the United States Attorney of the District of Columbia," and added, "Ed is now leaving to go outside to fight Legal Battles for the upcoming Midterm Election, and Presidential Election of 2028."
Trump appointed Martin in May 2025 and named him director of the DOJ's Weaponization Working Group. Earlier, on Inauguration Day, Trump installed him as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., then in February of that year nominated him for the permanent post. That nomination collapsed when Republican senators, notably Thom Tillis, would not advance him over his defense of Jan. 6 rioters, so Trump pulled it and moved him into DOJ roles that do not require Senate confirmation.
He was removed from the Weaponization Working Group in February 2026, but a DOJ spokesperson said he continued as pardon attorney. Martin's departure comes as the administration continues to reshuffle Justice Department leadership after several politically sensitive appointments drew scrutiny on Capitol Hill, underscoring how closely Senate confirmation dynamics can shape who serves in top federal law enforcement posts.
