Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, is unlikely to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee and make it to the floor for a vote, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.
One Republican senator and the panel, Thom Tillis (R-NC), told the White House earlier today he won’t back Martin.
“I think that would suggest he’s not going to get out of committee,” Sen. Thune said afterwards.
The clock is ticking on Martin’s nomination, which now has less than two weeks to clear the committee. If it expires, the Federal District Court will appoint the next U.S. attorney for the nation’s capital instead of the president.
“If Mr. Martin were being put forth for U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protest happened, I’d probably support him but not in the district,” Sen. Tillis said.
Martin’s nomination faced challenges beyond Tillis’ Jan. 6th concerns, including a hold by California Democrat Adam Schiff, who also serves on the judiciary committee. While a unified stand of Republican support on the panel could have overcome that, without Tills, the nomination is looking at a 12-12 split.
Past comments by Martin put him in hot water with other Republican senators, though none had said they’d vote against him. For instance, on Twitter (now X), Martin praised the Maine Republican Party for censuring Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for her 2019 vote to impeach Trump. He’d also called Utah Republican Senator John Curtis a “supposed Republican” and a “traitor,” though Curtis laughed off these comments as recently as last week. Importantly, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who sits on the committee, had not yet made up his mind about Martin.
Before getting to Senate consideration, Martin the Ohio lawyer and activist had a history of ruffling fathers. While at the Eagle Forum, the conservative group founded by pre-eminent pro-life activist Phyllis Schlafy, Martin embroiled the group in a 2016 duel between the Trump and Ted Cruz campaigns that later led to his ouster.
While Martin’s nomination remains active, as of late Tuesday morning it appeared increasing endangered. If the White House pulls his nomination, it may be seen as a rare defeat in Trump’s largely successful effort to date to get his team — including other controversial picks, confirmed.
