Ed Martin’s nomination to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia marks the most consequential confirmation of President Trump’s second term so far. Predictably, it’s also Senate Democrats’ top target. Blocking Martin would be a massive blow to the administration, derailing momentum and setting a dangerous new precedent for future nominations and legislation.
Democrats know it — and they’re all in.
In a matter of months, Martin has reoriented the US attorney’s office from a political weapon into a proper law enforcement agency.
If they succeed in stopping Martin, they’ll be emboldened. Future nominees will face the same obstruction.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) may understand Trump’s 20-point campaign platform better than most. He knows Trump’s political identity rests on a rare quality: keeping promises. Undermining Trump’s ability to deliver on those promises — especially while Democrats remain fractured on nearly everything else — would hand Schumer a major win.
That’s why Democrats have zeroed in on Martin.
He holds primary responsibility for delivering on Trump’s pledge to clean up Washington, D.C., and restore order ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. With the world watching, the nation’s capital cannot remain a showcase of chaos. Martin also oversees implementation of the president’s executive order titled “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.”
He’s already delivering.
Unlike his predecessor, who obsessed over 1,600 low-level January 6 misdemeanor defendants, Martin has gone after serious crimes. He’s charged violent offenders targeting police, schools, and children. In March, he set a record with 18 federal gun crime charges — a mark he’s on pace to surpass. He’s seized over $200,000 from Hamas-linked actors, rescued 25 children from predators, and secured a 10-year sentence for a carjacker.
In a matter of months, Martin has reoriented the U.S. attorney’s office from a political weapon into a proper law enforcement agency.
Historically, D.C. U.S. attorney nominations were routine. Confirmations often happened by voice vote. Martin’s immediate predecessor, Matthew Graves — who prioritized nonviolent J6 prosecutions over spiraling violent crime — sailed through. So did Eric Holder, Bill Clinton’s pick, later Barack Obama’s self-described “wingman” in the Justice Department. Even in the face of an assassination attempt, one might expect President Trump to receive basic deference in selecting his top federal prosecutor.
So why the fight?
Democrats view blocking Martin as their best shot to stall the entire Trump agenda. If they win this round — especially before action begins on the tax and border reconciliation bill — they will exploit GOP hesitation and slow the administration’s rollout. It’s a savvy play, especially at a moment when Democrats and the left have few options.
No Senate Republican has publicly opposed Martin. But Democrats wouldn’t push this hard without sensing weakness. They’re dusting off their Kavanaugh-era playbook: smear campaigns, media pressure, and manufactured “process” complaints.
They’ve falsely painted Martin as anti-Semitic — based on an award he once gave to a person he didn’t know held anti-Semitic views. Martin later denounced the individual in no uncertain terms. He handed out dozens of awards that day, including to Jewish honorees. That hasn’t mattered to the same party that won’t denounce Hamas apologists in its own ranks.
Next came U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who claimed Martin’s assistance in helping Jan. 6 defendants secure local counsel created a “conflict of interest.” The D.C. Bar cleared Martin of any wrongdoing.
Now Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has buried Martin in written questions and, via the Washington Post, accused him of noncompliance. The strategy is clear: overwhelm, confuse, smear, repeat.
Democrats also enjoy a tactical advantage. Martin’s interim appointment expires after 120 days — in other words, mid-May. Senate procedures reward delay, and some Republicans may prefer letting the clock run out to avoid a high-profile vote. But that strategy depends on silence.
And silence won’t last.
Public support for Martin continues to build. GOP inaction that produces the same outcome as a Democratic rejection won’t go unnoticed. There is no backdoor exit. Only forward movement will do.
Senate Republicans now face a clear choice: Hold the line or hand Democrats a tactical win with long-term consequences. Failing to confirm Martin risks turning every legislative priority — including future judicial and Supreme Court nominations — into an internal conference war.
The next few weeks will reveal what kind of Senate this is — and whether it will carry out the mandate voters gave to Donald Trump. Schumer, Durbin, Schiff, and their House allies like Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) are betting on Republican hesitation.
Let’s hope that they lose and that President Trump gets his prosecutor in D.C. so he can make the city safe and beautiful. America has a big birthday party coming up. Let’s not mess it up.
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