President Donald Trump pulled his nomination of Ed Martin for U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. The White House was working to secure his nomination despite declining support from some Republican senators.
Instead, Trump plans for Martin to be an associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney. Martin will likely recommend pardons for defendants involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. In this photo gallery, we review the defiance from Republican senators.
Martin’s nomination ran into significant hurdles, including his failure to disclose nearly 200 media appearances. He claimed under oath that he could not recall controversial statements, raising concerns among GOP senators.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said, “Last Friday, we received responses from Mr. Martin to our questions, and it raised even more questions. Mr. Martin made a number of false statements and contradictory statements that are easily disproven by the material he himself disclosed in his Senate Judiciary Questionnaire. And it wasn’t just to my questions—it was to Chairman Grassley’s questions as well.”