[Pages S2115-S2116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Nomination of Edward Martin

Mr. President, one of the most important appointments of the
President of the United States is a U.S. attorney. All across the
United States, some 90 U.S. attorneys represent the Department of
Justice. They do critical work, work that is essential for the safety
and security of America.
The announcement by this administration of Edward Robert Martin, Jr.,
to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia raises so many
questions that I have come to the floor today.
Prior to his appointment as an interim U.S. attorney, Mr. Edward
Robert Martin, Jr., made stunning attacks on Federal prosecutors and
associated himself with individuals who present a threat to our Nation.
Mr. Martin was the leader of the so-called ``Stop the Steal''
movement, which, illegally and from a ridiculous point of view, pushed
that the 2020 election was not determinative of who was elected
President.
Mr. Martin himself was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on January
6 and has repeatedly downplayed the violence perpetrated against law
enforcement that day. That happens to be a crime scene which I am
familiar with as a Member of the Senate because we were exposed to the
crowd storming into the Capitol and storming onto the floor of the
Senate Chamber.
Mr. Martin posted the following on social media:

Like Mardi Gras in DC today: love, faith and joy. Ignore
#FakeNews.

That is Mr. Martin's description of what was happening in this
Capitol Building as 140 law enforcement officers were being attacked.
Mr. Martin once labeled federal prosecutors in D.C.--
employees of the very office he now seeks to lead--[as]
``terrorists'' for pursuing stiff sentences against violent
January 6 rioters.

Mr. Martin said, and get this:

``Oath Keepers are all of us'' in response to the Justice
Department's prosecution of the leaders of the domestic
violent extremist organization for seditious experience. Mr.
Martin called prosecutors' treatment of insurrectionist
Christopher Worrell ``outrageous.''

This is a man seeking a full-time position as U.S. attorney, saying
that the prosecution of Christopher Worrell was outrageous.

He falsely claimed Mr. Worrell was only ``in the fray a
bit--not much but a bit.'' In fact, Mr. Worrell, a member of
the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for
assaulting a group of police officers [here in the Capitol]
with a deadly and dangerous weapon. The very day that Mr.
Martin called Mr. Worrell's treatment by prosecutors
``outrageous,'' Mr. Worrell was a fugitive from the law. He
had cut off his GPS ankle monitor four days before his
scheduled sentencing on August 14, 2023, and was not
apprehended until six weeks later.

Mr. Martin also has extensive ties to this man. His name is Timothy
Hale-Cusanelli. He was ``a January 6 rioter who prosecutors described
as a subscriber of `White Supremacist and Nazi-Sympathizer ideologies
that drive his enthusiasm for another civil war.' At Mr. Hale-
Cusanelli's sentencing hearing, Judge Trevor McFadden, who was
appointed by President Trump, said of Mr. Hale-Cusanelli before him,
`Statements and actions like yours make [Jewish people] less safe and
less confident they can participate as equal members of our society.'
Beyond inaccurately portraying Mr. Hale-Cusanelli as a victim of an
unjust conviction, Mr. Martin has inexplicably praised Mr. Hale-
Cusanelli's character and intellect, despite Mr. Hale-Cusanelli's
extensive well-known personal history of antisemitism, misogyny, and
racism.''

According to one of his co-workers, Mr. Hale-Cusanelli once
said, ``Hitler should have finished the job.'' Further, Mr.
Hale-Cusanelli reportedly claimed that he ``would kill all
Jews and eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and he
wouldn't need to season them because the salt from their
tears would make it flavorful enough.''

Can you imagine this statement being made by a man who is a close
friend of the President's suggestion for U.S. attorney for the District
of Columbia?

One co-worker recalled Mr. Hale-Cusanelli saying that
``babies born with . . . deformities or disabilities should
be shot in the forehead.'' Another told authorities Mr. Hale-
Cusanelli referred to Black people--

I can't use the words. I can't repeat them on the floor of the
Senate, but they are terrible.

According to videos Mr. Hale-Cusanelli himself recorded while
storming the Capitol on January 6, he berated an officer
guarding the West Front of the Capitol, stating, ``Fuck you!
The revolution will be televised.'' Days after the riot, a
confidential human source recorded Mr. Hale-Cusanelli saying
he wished for there to be another civil war--

So he could also say--

he would give Jewish people ``24 hours to leave the
country.''

Sickening. Outrageous, but stay tuned for what I am about to report.

In September 2024, Mr. Martin--

The nominee for U.S. attorney--

presented Mr. Hale-Cusanelli with an award at the Trump
Bedminster Club in New Jersey. Mr. Martin called Mr. Hale-
Cusanelli ``an extraordinary man''--

An extraordinary man he is--

``an extraordinary leader.'' After Mr. Hale-Cusanelli
concluded his remarks, he hugged Mr. Martin, who then
returned to the podium to say, ``It's one of the goals of
many of us to make sure the world--especially America--hears
more from Tim . . . because he's [so] extraordinary.'' This
shocking conduct necessitates sworn testimony from Mr.
Martin.

He needs to be brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee and
answer for his relationship with this individual. How could anyone be
taken seriously as a U.S. attorney with this in his background? He
deserves his day under oath to explain it.
That is why Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have
asked Senator Grassley to hold a special hearing for Mr. Martin to
explain this and any other things he has done. The list is long. The
list is also very troubling.

Mr. Martin has regularly threatened to prosecute various
government employees, members of Congress, and press outlets
in an apparent attempt to chill their lawful speech. On
February 3, 2025, [Mr. Martin] informed Elon Musk that ``we
will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who
impedes your work.'' Four days later, he followed up with Mr.
Musk and stated, ``if people are discovered to have broken
the law or even acted unethically, we will investigate them
and we will chase them to the end of the Earth to hold them
accountable.'' On February 24, Mr. Martin specifically
targeted the Associated Press, writing, ``As President
Trump's [sic] lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his
leadership as President and we are vigilant in standing
against entities like the AP that refuse to put America
first.''

[[Page S2116]]

Finally, since his nomination to serve as U.S. Attorney for
the District of Columbia, Mr. Martin appears to have
attempted to scrub much of his public commentary from the
internet. For example, nearly 1,000 hours of his podcasts
have been removed from online platforms, such as Spotify and
Apple Podcasts, interfering with the Committee's ability to
thoroughly examine his record.

He is trying to cleanse his past so he doesn't have to explain it.
The fact is, his relationship with this man, presenting him an award at
the President's personal club in New Jersey and that then his being
praised on it afterward, is a clear indication to me that he should
never be seriously considered for this job of U.S. Attorney.
But let him come before us. Under oath, let him explain it. Let him
try to tell us why this man is such an ``extraordinary leader, an
extraordinary person,'' and why this brand of anti-Semitism that he
peddles should be tolerated by anyone, let alone the President of the
United States.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.