Ed Martin’s Nomination Dies Amid Bipartisan Backlash
Flynn Ties and J6 Pardons Under Scrutiny
WASHINGTON — Ed Martin’s nomination to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has been defeated, with key Senate Republicans joining Democrats in questioning his record and the politicization of his interim tenure. At the center of the controversy are Martin's longstanding ties to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and his role in the post-January 6 push for blanket pardons—an operation that critics now allege was part of a psychological campaign to bury deeper investigations.
Martin, a former president of Flynn’s nonprofit America’s Future, publicly advocated for Flynn’s pardon in 2020, was with Flynn in Washington on January 6, and played a key role in pressuring Trump to issue mass pardons for J6 defendants. That push, now widely seen as a strategic move to prevent scrutiny of unindicted co-conspirators involved in staging the riot, has cast a long shadow over Martin's nomination.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced this week that he will oppose Martin’s confirmation, citing Martin’s “advocacy for January 6 rioters” as incompatible with the responsibilities of the office. Without Tillis’ support, Martin lacks the votes to advance out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Democrats and Republicans are evenly split. A tie vote (11–11) would block his nomination from reaching the Senate floor.
The committee did not include Martin’s nomination on the agenda for its May 8 meeting, signaling further delays or potential abandonment.
Ivan Raiklin declared on May 1 that “Anyone in the way of Ed Martin’s nomination must be steamrolled!”
Flynn reacted angrily to the setback, posting on X: “WTH is wrong with Thom Tillis?! He’s more interested in pleasing his donors than defending the Constitution or the truth. The same people who pushed Ed Martin are the same ones J6ers need to fear most.” The post has been widely interpreted as a deliberate attempt to incite anger toward Tillis and to rally opposition against Senate Republicans seen as insufficiently loyal. As reported by The Western Journal, Flynn’s comments were followed by a wave of coordinated attacks on Tillis by influencers aligned with Flynn, branding him a 'traitor' and 'RINO.' The reaction sparked a fresh wave of coordinated influencer messaging on X, targeting Republican holdouts.
Criticism spans both parties
Martin has drawn heavy criticism from Democratic lawmakers, led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who are demanding a formal confirmation hearing. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has placed a hold on the nomination, citing Martin’s decision to fire career prosecutors handling January 6 cases and dismiss multiple indictments without explanation.
Martin is also facing ethics questions over his failure to disclose hundreds of media appearances, including more than 150 appearances on Russian state-affiliated outlets, in required Senate documents.
Flynn network psyops and mirrored messaging
Martin’s deeper entanglement in the Flynn network is now coming into sharper focus. In addition to his formal ties to America’s Future, Martin was one of the central figures urging blanket pardons for all J6 defendants—a move that several analysts and insiders now characterize as a Flynn-led psychological operation to deflect from the network's own role in orchestrating the chaos of January 6.
Bigger Truth Media was on the forefront of arguing against blanket pardons from November until Trump decided to proceed with blanket pardons, advocating instead for the "line by line" approach that Trump and J.D. Vance had previously endorsed.
Multiple J6 defendants, including @freestatewill on X, allege that Martin obstructed defendants’ access to discovery materials, effectively shielding the Flynn-aligned operatives whose coordination and actions that day remain uninvestigated.
The narrative push for blanket pardons was not only aggressive, but mirrored the tactics seen in recent weeks to secure Martin's confirmation. Coordinated messaging on X by Flynn-associated influencers has also included calls to reappoint Flynn as National Security Advisor following the firing of Mike Waltz. The timing and similarity of these pushes suggest an ongoing influence campaign engineered by the same core network.
Trump pressures GOP amid deadline
Former President Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind Martin, praising him on Truth Social and calling on Republican senators to confirm the nomination before the May 20 deadline, when Martin’s interim appointment expires. Trump’s May 5 post described Martin as “a true patriot” and warned that failure to confirm him would “hand the D.C. swamp back to the Deep State.”
Despite Trump’s lobbying, resistance among Senate Republicans is growing. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed concern over Martin’s past comments and lack of transparency. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) indicated he had not yet met with Martin and that further review may be needed.
If Trump does not get someone confirmed for the position by May 20, a new interim U.S. Attorney would be appointed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, currently led by Chief Judge James Boasberg, who issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration in March, halting the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants.
Minutes before publication of this article, Trump said in a press conference that he will officially withdraw Ed Martin’s nomination and name a new appointee within the next two days, "He wasn't getting the support... Hopefully we can bring him into DOJ in some capacity... I was disappointed... But that's the way it works sometimes... We have somebody else we'll be announcing over the next two days that will be great."
What's next
Once Trump names a new appointee, the Senate will face pressure to confirm prior to the deadline of May 20.
Regarding the push to appoint Flynn as National Security Advisor, Trump told reporters this week that his advisor Stephen Miller was likely to be his top choice. The National Security Advisor does not need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Flynn previously served in that role at the beginning of Trump's first administration. He was fired after 23 days for lying to Mike Pence and the FBI about his conversations with the Russian Ambassador, for which he later pled guilty in court.