Martin’s departure from the working group was disclosed Monday by a person familiar with internal Justice Department staffing, who said the conservative activist is no longer working out of department headquarters. The working group’s portfolio involves scrutinizing federal prosecutions tied to President Donald Trump, a role that had been assigned to Martin when the team was formed.
The person who spoke to AP said Martin was removed as head of the “Weaponization Working Group” and that Martin is now based in a different Washington building that houses some Justice Department offices. AP reported that Martin remains the department’s pardon attorney, but had previously been working on the fourth floor at Justice Department headquarters, where the deputy attorney general’s office is located.
AP said it was not immediately clear why Martin was no longer in charge of the working group. A second person familiar with the matter told AP, on condition of anonymity, that the group had not been making much progress under Martin’s leadership.
Attempts to reach Martin by telephone and email were not immediately successful Monday, AP reported.
Martin has been a prominent figure in a push by Trump supporters to use the Justice Department to pursue cases against political opponents. AP reported that the legal pressure associated with that approach has included efforts tied to former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
A federal judge dismissed the Comey and James prosecutions in November, concluding that the prosecutor who brought the charges at Trump’s urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department, AP said. The dismissals further increased attention on how prosecutors were chosen and supervised in the cases.
AP also described Martin’s earlier period inside the Justice Department, when Trump installed him last January as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. AP said Martin, who had no prior prosecutorial experience, moved quickly to replace personnel on politically sensitive matters, including cases involving Capitol riot defendants, and that he posted on social media about possible investigation targets.
In addition, AP reported that Martin oversaw dismissals of hundreds of Jan. 6 cases after Trump signed a sweeping act of clemency for Capitol riot defendants. AP said Trump later withdrew Martin’s nomination for the job on a more permanent basis two days after Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he could not support Martin for the role.
AP reported that Tillis opposed Martin’s nomination because of Martin’s outspoken advocacy connected to supporters who attacked the Capitol. Martin had also been active in Trump’s “Stop the Steal” movement, AP said, including speaking at a rally in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6.
Last May, AP reported, Trump chose Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to replace Martin as top federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia, and that Martin then moved to Justice Department headquarters to serve as pardon attorney. Monday’s report, AP said, indicates Martin now remains in the pardon role while no longer leading the “Weaponization Working Group.”