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Ed Martin leaves Justice Department to fight legal battles for upcoming elections

Ed Martin is departing his role as the Justice Department's pardon attorney to focus on legal battles surrounding the upcoming midterm and 2028 presidential elections. The administration announced his departure on Friday, noting that Martin will work to ensure free and fair elections while advancing constitutional rights. Martin, a prominent ally of President Trump, previously served as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. His tenure was marked by a vocal effort to use the department to target critics of the administration. While he was a key figure in the "Stop the Steal" movement and a lawyer for many Capitol rioters, his role was eventually curtailed by Attorney General Todd Blanche. Blanche, who sought to support the administration's goals of weaponizing the department against political foes, viewed Martin's execution of these tasks as less competent than his own. Martin's exit follows a period of high-profile actions, including a public investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James and a series of letters to political opponents.

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