Mere days before President Donald Trump pulled the nomination of Ed Martin to be U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Utah Attorney General Derek Brown signed on to a letter with 22 other Republican Attorneys General urging Senate Republicans to confirm him to the post.
Martin, a Republican activist with no previous prosecutorial experience, was already serving in the position temporarily. Ultimately, his nomination was derailed by several controversies, including his defense of rioters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and his association with an alleged Nazi sympathizer.
The letter, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, praised Martin as “a conservative and man of faith,” and highlighted his efforts to reduce violent crime and reverse the “partisan abuses of prosecutorial power” during the Biden administration. The AGs dismissed swirling around Martin as a Democrat-led attempt at character assassination.
“Senate Democrats used this same tired playbook to try to derail Justice (Brett) Kavanaugh’s nomination. They engaged in the same kind of hyperbole and hysterics last year and the year before in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of Justice (Clarence) Thomas,” the letter reads. “For Senate Democrats faced with a conservative nominee or official they do not like, the sky is always falling. This time is no different. We encourage Senate Republicans to act accordingly and turn a deaf ear to these attacks.”
The nomination collapsed earlier this week when North Carolina Republican Sen. Tom Tillis said he could not vote to confirm Martin because of his views on the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. In addition to defending accused rioters, Martin had publicly promoted conspiracy theories about the attack, including the debunked assertion that the violence was instigated by federal agents.
Perhaps most shocking were Martin’s close ties to convicted Jan. 6 rioter, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, are especially problematic. Prosecutors described Hale-Cusanelli as a “Nazi sympathizer” who has been photographed with a mustache resembling Adolf Hitler’s. Martin, who praised Hale-Cusanelli as an “amazing guy,” tried to downplay their relationship, claiming he was unaware of Hale-Cusanelli’s previous antisemitic comments.
Brown’s office has not responded to questions about why he endorsed Martin’s nomination despite those past controversies or his ties to Hale-Cusanelli.
President Trump now reportedly eyeing appointing Fox News personality Jeanine Pirro instead.
