Ed Martin, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has been removed from his position as the “captain” of the Justice Department’s (DOJ) “Weaponization Working Group,” a group that has conducted investigations against prosecutors who launched past probes into President Trump and his allies, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A DOJ spokesman affirmed that “President Trump appointed Ed Martin as Pardon Attorney and Ed continues to do a great job in that role,” when asked by NBC News whether Martin is still serving in the position.
Martin was selected as director of the working group after he failed to garner sufficient backing from the Senate to become the top prosecutor in the District of Columbia. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposed Martin’s appointment in May 2025, citing concerns about Martin’s connection to the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.
In response, President Trump appointed Martin as the pardon attorney, a role that serves as an advisory position to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, with duties involving reviewing clemency requests and advising Blanche on specific matters. Subsequently, Martin was selected to assist in investigating mortgage fraud cases involving public officials.
The “Weaponization Working Group,” established by Attorney General Pam Bondi in response to one of President Trump’s executive orders, is tasked with examining a wide array of cases that were pursued during former President Joe Biden’s term, including the Jan. 6 prosecutions, criminal cases related to the FACE Act involving anti-abortion activists, former special counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, among several others.
Martin’s short tenure as interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., was accompanied by significant controversy. Martin garnered backlash after sending several threatening letters to President Trump’s political adversaries, as well as for his attempt to launch a criminal investigation into Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over comments made in 2020 involving abortion rights.
