It’s a bad day to be a Donald Trump nominee.
Just 24 hours after pulling his pick for surgeon general, the president has now announced he will drop Ed Martin’s nomination to serve as U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.—the latest collapse in an administration stacked with loyalists and controversy magnets.
“We have somebody else that we’ll be announcing over the next two days that will be great,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Martin’s nomination had been on life support for days. On Tuesday, New Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis—a key GOP member of the Senate Judiciary Committee—came out against Martin, citing the nominee’s past defense of Jan. 6 insurrectionists. With Tillis out on Martin, that made a deadlocked 11-11 committee vote likely, with several other Republican senators still uncommitted.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, right, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Even if the GOP managed to get his nomination out of committee, Martin—a 2020 election denier—faced grim odds for a full confirmation vote. Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski had also signaled doubts.
“He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support,” Trump admitted.
“I have to be straight. I was disappointed,” he added. “A lot of people were disappointed, but that's the way it works. Sometimes, that's the way it works. And he wasn't rejected, but we felt … it would be hard.”
The nomination took a further hit when it was revealed that during a 2022 podcast, Martin said, “President Joe Biden is Hitler.” Martin also reportedly ghostwrote attacks on a judge overseeing a civil case where he was the defendant, according to ProPublica.
Before his nomination hit the rocks, Martin had made himself at home in Trump’s second presidency. As interim U.S. attorney in D.C., he called himself one of “President Trump’s lawyers,” created a special unit to hunt supposed election crimes, and allegedly helped a GOP congressman evade arrest.
Martin also tried to cozy up to billionaire Elon Musk, threatening legal action against critics of Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency team. Martin even targeted a Democratic House member who had joked about Musk during a subcommittee hearing.
According to Trump, Martin may not be leaving Washington altogether. The president floated the idea of slotting him into another role—“whether it’s DOJ or whatever”—that likely wouldn’t require Senate confirmation.
Fox News host Jeanine Pirro
Trump later announced that Fox News host Jeanine Pirro would replace Martin as interim U.S. attorney for D.C.
“I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “In addition to her Legal career, Jeanine previously hosted her own Fox News Show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, for ten years, and is currently Co-Host of The Five, one of the Highest Rated Shows on Television,” the president wrote.
Pirro joins a long line of Fox News personalities to join Trump’s team. And she’s cut from the same cloth as Martin. Pirro was one of Trump’s earliest defenders, standing by him even after the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, where he bragged about groping women. And she has spent years amplifying Trump’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
As for Martin, he joins a growing pile of failed Trump appointees. He’s at least the sixth pick to either withdraw or get yanked, alongside Matt Gaetz (attorney general), Kathleen Sgamma (Bureau of Land Management), Rep. Elise Stefanik (United Nations ambassador), David Weldon (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and Janette Nesheiwat (surgeon general).
Democrats were quick to celebrate Martin’s apparent ouster.
“I will keep working to ensure that the January 6 deniers are not confirmed to positions from which they can undermine our rule of law and threaten our democracy,” said Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
Rough day to be in Trump’s orbit. Then again, he was never known for surrounding himself with the best people.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated after Trump announced Jeanine Pirro’s appointment as U.S. attorney.
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