President Trump’s latest maneuver in the Justice Department has Washington abuzz — and not just because of the sudden reshuffling at the top.
In a Thursday morning press event initially expected to focus on a sweeping new trade agreement with the United Kingdom, Trump stunned reporters by abruptly withdrawing the nomination of “Eagle” Ed Martin for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Martin, who has served as the interim U.S. Attorney since Inauguration Day, had been a controversial pick from the start, with his formal nomination effectively frozen after Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) signaled opposition within the Senate Judiciary Committee.
But if Martin’s nomination hit a wall, it didn’t slow his trajectory.
Congratulations, @EagleEdMartin! pic.twitter.com/AzBR7r0IwW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 8, 2025
Just hours after retracting the nomination, Trump unveiled a new and arguably more powerful assignment for Martin: Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney. The move raised eyebrows and pulses in equal measure. According to Trump, Martin will now helm investigations into what the president called the “Weaponization of our Government under the Biden Regime,” with a mandate to deliver “much needed Justice for its victims.”
This freshly minted “Weaponization Working Group” is likely to be a lightning rod. Framed by the administration as a crusade for accountability, critics will no doubt see it as a political scalpel designed to carve into Biden-era agencies and officials. That Martin, long known for his combative rhetoric and fierce loyalty to the president, is leading the charge will only heighten the tension.
I’m thrilled to be one of the lucky few who gets to work with BOTH my friends @EagleEdMartin and @JudgeJeanine !!! Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/R4ncevIRjD
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) May 9, 2025
Yet Trump wasn’t finished with the headlines. Just as Washington was absorbing the shake-up, he announced that Jeanine Pirro — former judge, longtime Trump ally, and Fox News firebrand — would step in as interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. Pirro’s appointment adds yet another high-profile, controversial figure to a role traditionally defined by prosecutorial restraint and independence.
Martin, for his part, wasted no time expressing satisfaction with his new role, signaling that he’s eager to take the reins of what is sure to become one of the most scrutinized arms of the Justice Department.
Congratulations, @EagleEdMartin! pic.twitter.com/AzBR7r0IwW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 8, 2025
