Ed Martin's earlier praise for a Nazi sympathizer and Jan. 6 rioter draws fresh scrutiny

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The hyperpartisan Trump loyalist said he didn't know he was celebrating a Nazi sympathizer last year. There's reason to believe otherwise.
https://bsky.app/profile/juanmunoz.bsky.social/post/3lnvhivcxgk2l

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/ed-martins-earlier-praise-nazi-sympathizer-jan-6-rioter-draws-fresh-sc-rcna203336

But perhaps the most important development of all are recent allegations about Martin’s support for a man NBC News has described as a “Nazi sympathizer” and “Jan. 6 rioter.”

Late last week, ProPublica published a stunning report on Martin’s record of ghostwriting online attacks against a judge overseeing a case he was involved in. The ethics of such conduct were obviously suspect, but the same article also noted Martin’s work on behalf of Jan. 6 criminal defendants:

Last summer, Martin gave an award to a convicted Jan. 6 rioter named Timothy Hale-Cusanelli. According to court records, Hale-Cusanelli held “long-standing white supremacist and Nazi beliefs,” wore a “Hitler mustache” and allegedly told his co-workers that “Hitler should have finished the job.” ... After hugging and thanking Hale-Cusanelli at the ceremony, Martin told the audience that one of his goals was “to make sure that the world — and especially America — hears more from Tim Hale, because he’s extraordinary.”

The fact that Martin publicly praised a Nazi sympathizer seems like the sort of thing that might be a problem for his nomination to take over one of the nation’s largest prosecutorial offices.

Last week, the Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney apologized for having celebrated Hale, claiming that he wasn’t aware of Hale’s radical and hate-filled beliefs. The trouble is, Martin’s defense is difficult to believe: The Washington Post reported, “n videos and podcasts, Martin has defended the man since at least 2023, calling him a friend who was ‘slurred and smeared’ by antisemitism allegations.”

Six weeks before the awards ceremony ... Martin interviewed Hale-Cusanelli about the allegations and defended him in a more than hour-long episode of his “Pro America Report” podcast, which he hosted from 2020 until early this year. A video of the episode was posted July 2 on a video-sharing platform called Rumble.

All of which leads to a rather obvious concern, emphasized by Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who’ve scrutinized the lawyer’s record: The only thing worse than celebrating a Nazi sympathizer is lying about having celebrated a Nazi sympathizer......

The Senate has not yet scheduled a confirmation hearing for Martin, and the calendar is of increasing relevance: If he isn’t confirmed by May 20, his interim appointment will expire, and he’ll have to be replaced at the U.S attorney’s office. Watch this space.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Former federal prosecutors for D.C. sign memo opposing Ed Martin as D.C. U.S. attorney

Ed Martin is a major league asshole who lacks any ethics.
https://bsky.app/profile/10bmnews.bsky.social/post/3lnvscdglsp2z

Former federal prosecutors for D.C. sign memo opposing Ed Martin as D.C. U.S. attorney

Nearly 100 former employees and prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., have signed a memo opposing President Trump's nominee to lead the office. The memo is the latest effort by…

Link to tweet

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-federal-prosecutors-d-c-sign-memo-opposing-ed-martin-as-d-c-u-s-attorney/

Nearly 100 former employees and prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., have signed a memo opposing President Trump's nominee to lead the office.

The memo is the latest effort by critics of acting D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin to stop his Senate confirmation for the permanent role, which is among the most powerful federal prosecutor positions in the country. The letter was signed by a group of former prosecutors who served in the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office across seven decades, under administrations from Lyndon B. Johnson's through Joe Biden's.

The memo, a copy of which was shared with CBS News, called for the rejection fo Martin's nomination.

"There is a time when we all are called to stand for the full and fair administration of justice and the rule of law," the memo says. "For those of us who have served in the Office of the United States Attorney and still have a breath, that time is now. And the message we speak is, reject — outright and completely — the proposed nominee. Whether our message is futile or not, it is an expression of our conscience and a matter of principle that we deliver with all of the strength that we can muster."