Trump to pull nomination of Ed Martin for DC US attorney

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will pull the nomination of Ed Martin to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, DC.

"He's a terrific person, and he wasn't getting the support," Trump told the reporters at the White House.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said earlier he would not support Trump's pick Martin's nomination because of his comments related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the US Capitol.

"I was disappointed," Trump said, adding that crime is down in Washington, DC by 25% during Martin's period of time.

"A lot of people were disappointed, but that’s the way it works. Sometimes that’s the way it works. And he wasn’t rejected, but we felt it would be very, it would be hard.

"We have somebody else that will be announcing over the next two days who’s gonna be great," Trump said.

Republicans have a 12-10 majority at the Senate Judiciary Committee. If all other members, aside from Tillis, voted along party lines, Martin would be stuck in committee on an 11-11 deadlock.

Democrats on the committee filed a complaint in March against Martin. In a letter to the DC Bar disciplinary counsel, the senators said Martin "has abused his position in several ways, including dismissing charges against his own client and using the threat of prosecution to intimidate government employees and chill the speech of private citizens."

Martin’s position as acting US attorney for the DC expires May 20.