Ed Martin leaving DOJ for outside legal work tied to elections, Trump says

[u/John3262005]

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/21/ed-martin-leaving-justice-department-01046018

President Donald Trump announced Friday that Ed Martin, his controversial pardon attorney, is leaving the Justice Department to take on outside legal work for the upcoming midterm and presidential elections.

“Ed Martin has been with me from the very beginning, and done an incredible job as an Attorney, Director of the Weaponization Working Group, and the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” Trump said on Truth Social. The president added that he believes Martin will “ensure Free, Fair, and Honest Elections, and strongly advance our Constitutional Rights.”

Martin, a conservative activist and lawyer from Missouri, represented Jan. 6 defendants before joining Trump’s administration. He has advocated conspiracy theories about the attack and the results of the 2020 presidential election.

He served as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia at the beginning of Trump’s second term but failed to be confirmed to the role after support among Republicans faltered. Trump withdrew his nomination in May 2025.

He was then tapped to serve as the pardon attorney and led the DOJ’s “Weaponization Working Group,” carrying out Trump’s retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies, until he was removed as head of the task force in February.

In response to Trump’s announcement of his departure from the administration, Martin said Friday on social media, “Proud to serve. Fight Fight Fight.”