Trump yanks Ed Martin's U.S. Attorney pick after backlash to Jan. 6 comments
President Trump said Thursday he will pull the nomination of U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin, whose leniency toward Jan. 6 Capitol rioters lost him key Republican support in the Senate.
Why it matters: It's a rare setback for Trump, losing a MAGA true believer who relished national culture war battles and pushed a "Make D.C. Safe Again" initiative.
"He wasn't getting the support," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I'm very disappointed in that. ... Hopefully we can bring him into, whether it's DOJ or whatever, in some capacity."
The final blow came from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Tuesday: "I have no tolerance for anybody who entered the building on Jan. 6," he told reporters on Tuesday.
A fire breathing conservative podcaster, Martin was already on thin ice with the Senate Judiciary Committee for failing to originally disclose appearances on Russian state media.
The big picture: Martin served as Trump's attack dog during a controversial interim appointment, demoting prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, pursuing critics of Elon Musk's DOGE, and threatening Wikipedia over what he called biased "propaganda."
The U.S. Attorney for D.C. is a big office that prosecutes both white collar and national security investigations in D.C. — and street-level violent crime locally.
Trump said he would announce a replacement "over the next two days that will be great."
Between the lines: MAGA influencers like Charlie Kirk had unloaded on Tillis for his opposition, but their efforts to save Martin's nomination fell short.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'When He Least Expects It': Michael Cohen Warns Elon Musk Of Trump's Revenge
Michael Cohen, former longtime personal attorney to Donald Trump, on Sunday warned Elon Musk that the president isn't done with him yet. 'They're going to really go after Elon Musk like nobody has seen, ever, in this country because they can,' he said on MSNBC on Saturday. 'And one thing Elon doesn't understand is this political guerrilla warfare that they're going to conduct against him.' Cohen warned that Trump can use the power of government to target Musk's companies and even his citizenship. Musk and Trump last week had a spectacularly public falling out, and over the weekend the president slammed his one-time pal as 'very disrespectful' and warned him of 'serious consequences' if he supported Democrats. Cohen said that while Trump has also downplayed the feud, the president is likely already plotting against the billionaire behind the scenes. 'I just wish him well,' Trump said on Friday. 'No he doesn't,' Cohen said. 'Because while Elon Musk is taking a step back thinking Trump is taking a step back, what Trump is actually doing is weaponizing the Department of Justice through his attorney general and other people, and they are gonna drop the hammer on him out of nowhere when he least expects it. That's the playbook.' See more of his conversation with MSNBC's Ali Velshi below:
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine's General Staff confirms strike on Russian facility producing special receivers for Shahed drones
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, together with other components of the defence forces, have hit the Russian JSC VNDIR-Progres on the night of 8-9 June. This plant manufactures parts for Shahed drones and is located over 1,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Quote: "A defence industry facility, where receivers for Shahed drones were produced, has been hit. The target was struck by at least two UAVs, followed by a large-scale fire. The consequences of the strike are being confirmed." Details: The attack was conducted as part of "reducing the enemy's capability to manufacture aerial attack assets". The General Staff reported that JSC VNDIR-Progres is a Russian defence industry facility that manufactures navigation equipment. In particular, this facility supports the production of adaptive Kometa signal receivers, which are used in Shahed attack UAVs, and unified planning and correction modules for guided aerial bombs and other high-precision weaponry. "Strikes on facilities that support the armed aggression of the Russian Federation will continue until it is fully stopped against Ukraine," the General Staff emphasised. Background: Russian authorities imposed temporary restrictions at four Russian airports on the night of 8-9 June and explosions rocked the city of Cheboksary in the Chuvash Republic. Later, it was reported that a drone attack had caused a fire at the VNDIR-Progres plant, which manufactures Kometa receivers for the Russians that protect Russian drones from Ukrainian electronic warfare systems, in the city of Cheboksary in the Chuvash Republic of the Russian Federation. The plant suspended operations. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Estonian president: Ukraine will become NATO member in long term
Estonian President Alar Karis has urged people not to lose hope in Ukraine's future NATO membership, even though there is currently no unanimous political will among allies to approve it. Source: Alar Karis in an interview with Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, as reported by European Pravda Details: Karis was asked whether he believes Ukraine's accession to NATO is realistic in light of former US President Donald Trump's recent remarks dismissing the idea. Quote: "It's worth remembering that Estonia began discussing NATO membership when Russian troops were still on our soil, and not everyone believed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would ever become NATO members. But here we are – NATO members and allies." More details: Karis added that both Finland and Sweden have recently joined NATO despite a long history of neutrality. "Ukraine also needs security guarantees. And in the long term, we are convinced Ukraine will become a NATO member as well," Karis said. Background: Estonia plans to allocate over 5% of its GDP to defence needs next year. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur believes NATO countries can realistically raise their defence spending to 5% of GDP within five years. Read also: Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
