WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump announced Ed Martin's departure from the administration in a post on Truth Social on Friday afternoon. The announcement marked the end of Martin's tenure at the Justice Department, where he served as the U.S. Pardon Attorney prior to his departure.

Martin reposted President Trump's announcement of his departure on X and added, "Proud to serve. Fight Fight Fight." The position of Pardon Attorney is an advisory role that involves reviewing clemency applications and making recommendations within the United States federal executive department.

Martin previously served as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a role he began in January 2025. He lacked previous prosecutorial experience before his appointment as interim U.S. attorney. During this tenure, more than a dozen probationary federal prosecutors who had handled investigations into the Jan. 6 attack were fired under Martin's supervision.

Martin ordered prosecutors to launch an internal inquiry into how they decided to charge some Jan. 6 defendants with felony obstruction charges. He also demoted a number of prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia to entry-level roles. The top criminal chief in the office resigned after alleging Martin pressured her to launch a criminal investigation and freeze assets belonging to an Environmental Protection Agency grant despite no evidence of a crime.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche expressed frustration with Martin in emails regarding Martin's public discussion of non-public investigation details. "This is becoming a real problem, Ed," Blanche wrote. Despite these tensions, General Blanche called Martin a "patriot who loves this nation" in a post on X, adding, "We look forward to seeing his future successes!" Blanche was confirmed by the Senate as General on Aug. 8.

Martin served as the head of the Weaponization Working Group at the Justice Department, a working group of the Office of the General created in 2025. The group was tasked with investigating prosecutors who pursued past investigations into President Trump and his allies. Martin was stripped of his role leading the Weaponization Working Group in February 2026.

The removal followed incidents where Martin publicly posted photos of himself wearing a brown trenchcoat outside New York General Letitia James' brownstone in Brooklyn. His posting of photos outside James' residence contributed to his removal from overseeing the working group. Martin frequently announced the targets of his investigations on social media, in violation of the Justice Department's manual governing rules for prosecutors.

Earlier in his career, career lawyers blocked Martin from opening a criminal investigation into Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer over political comments Schumer made in 2020. Martin threatened to cease hiring graduates from Georgetown University Law Center if the school did not abandon its policies on diversity, equity and inclusion. This targeting resulted in an ethics complaint filed by the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel. The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in support of Martin in the ongoing ethics case against him in D.C.

Martin was deputized as a special assistant U.S. attorney to help lead mortgage-related investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff, New York General James, and Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. The cases against Cook and Schiff have not materialized. A federal judge dismissed an indictment against James related to mortgage fraud on the grounds that the interim U.S. attorney who secured the indictment was unlawfully appointed. The Department of Justice has appealed the ruling dismissing the indictment against James.

In other departmental activities, Martin was assigned to help promote the Justice Department's initiative to allow people prohibited from possessing firearms to petition to have their rights restored.

Why It Matters

Martin's departure concludes a period of personnel changes and investigative shifts within the Justice Department. His tenure involved high-profile actions against political figures and internal restructuring of prosecutorial teams handling Jan. 6 cases. The Department of Justice's support in his ongoing ethics case shows the institutional backing he received despite controversies surrounding his conduct and public statements.

The creation and subsequent leadership changes in the Weaponization Working Group reflect broader efforts to investigate prior probes into President Trump and his allies. Martin's transition to external legal battles for upcoming elections suggests a continued focus on political litigation. The dismissal of the indictment against James and the appeal process indicate ongoing legal disputes regarding the authority of interim appointments.

Timeline

On June 2, 2017, the matter of United States v. Olivas-Perea came before the Court in the District Court, D. New Mexico, with Judge James O. Browning presiding over a motion to dismiss. On Jan. 6, 2021, Ed Martin advocated on behalf of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol. Ed Martin began his tenure as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia in January 2025.

President Trump withdrew Ed Martin's nomination for permanent U.S. attorney in May 2025 during a difficult Senate confirmation process. Ed Martin was stripped of his role leading the Weaponization Working Group in February 2026. On April 2, 2026, the Education Department published a proposed rule titled "Proposed Waivers and Extensions of the Project Period With Funding for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program and the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center".

What's New

Fight Fight Fight." Further details reveal that Martin lacked previous prosecutorial experience before his appointment as interim U.S. attorney. President Trump stated, "Ed is now leaving to go outside to fight Legal Battles for the upcoming Midterm Election, and the Presidential Election of 2028."

Records show Martin began his tenure as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia in January 2025. President Trump withdrew Martin's nomination for permanent U.S. attorney in May 2025 during a difficult Senate confirmation process. The "Weaponization Working Group" was tasked with investigating prosecutors who pursued past investigations into President Trump and his allies.

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis noted, "If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protest happened, I’d probably support him, but not in this district."