Ed Martin was appointed by Donald Trump as the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., and controls the office that prosecuted Jan. 6 insurrectionists. Martin sent an email to staff demanding the preservation of files related to previous prosecutions, which was leaked to the media.
He criticized leaked emails as “personally insulting” and expressed disappointment over internal communications being shared publicly. “Wow, what a disappointment to have my email yesterday to you all was leaked almost immediately,” Martin reportedly wrote on Tuesday. “Again, personally insulting and professionally unacceptable. I guess I have learned my lesson (‘Fool me once…’).”
Former prosecutor Ashley Akers publicly criticized Martin’s actions, leading to tensions within the Department of Justice.