President Donald Trump referred to Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) refusal to support his nominee for Washington, DC’s top prosecutor as “disappointing.”
During a Wednesday press conference, a reporter brought up Tillis’ comments about Ed Martin, Trump’s nominee.
Well, it’s disappointing because, you know, I know Eddie’s very talented. Crime is down in Washington, D.C.—street crime, violent crime—by 25 percent. People have seen it; they’ve noticed a big difference. So, I didn’t know that, but if anybody voted against him, I feel very badly about it. Only in the sense that, in this short period of time that he’s been there, crime is down 25 percent in Washington, DC. But that’s really up to the senators. If they feel that way, they have to vote the way they vote. They have to follow their heart, and they have to follow their mind.
Trump says it's "disappointing" that Sen. Thom Tillis said he won't vote to confirm Ed Martin for DC's top prosecutor. pic.twitter.com/abktxpPegG
— Jeff Charles, The Nullifier🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) May 7, 2025
Tillis on Tuesday said he “indicated to the White House I wouldn’t support his nomination.” His reason? Martin supported defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases. Indeed, Martin’s support for those the government railroaded over the incident has been controversial for many on both sides.
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I was sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison—not for violence on J6, but for standing my ground and refusing to bow to a rigged political prosecution.
— John Strand (@JohnStrandUSA) May 6, 2025
Now Senator Thom Tillis wants to block Ed Martin—one of the few fighting for real justice.
We see you, @SenThomTillis. pic.twitter.com/0t2JNe9pqW
Five former prosecutors also came out against Martin as the nominee.
Five former prosecutors who worked on the effort to railroad those involved in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol Building have demanded an investigation into President Donald Trump’s pick to become Washington, DC’s new top prosecutor.
Ed Martin has won his share of controversy over some of the moves he made while serving as interim US attorney for DC, especially related to the J6 prosecutions. CNN reported that the former prosecutors are calling on the disciplinary office for DC attorneys to launch an investigation into Martin.
Martin, who has been serving in the post on an interim basis since Trump returned to the White House, is a divisive pick for the job. After stepping into the position, he used his new powers to dismiss January 6 Capitol riot cases, fire prosecutors who were involved in the investigations, go after his and Trump’s political adversaries, and launch internal reviews in an attempt to find misconduct within the office.
The group wrote in a letter that Martin “has used his brief time in office to demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of a federal prosecutor, announcing investigations against his political opponents, aiding defendants he previously represented, and communicating improperly with those he did not.”
It is unclear whether Martin will have the support needed to be confirmed, but there will definitely be more debate about the matter.
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