Ed Martin's Bid for U.S. Attorney D.C. Ends

Alright, let’s spill the tea about Ed Martin, the former big cheese of the Missouri GOP, whose plans to secure a permanent gig as the U.S. attorney for D.C. just got canned. So, what's up with that? Well, it seems like his past deeds and some eyebrow-raising comments came back to haunt him, big time.

Presidential Decision

First off, President Trump has decided to pass over Martin for someone else. Talk about a bummer for him, right? This came right after Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina threw a spanner in the works. Tillis, being on the Senate Judiciary Committee, kinda has a hefty say in these matters, and he just wasn’t feeling Martin, especially after his stint as an interim U.S. attorney.

Mixed Bag of Reasons

And why’s that? Well, Martin wasn’t exactly playing it cool. Since hopping over to Virginia a few years back, he’s stayed pretty much in the spotlight for a mixed bag of reasons. His time in Missouri saw him jumping from gigs like the state Republican Party chairman to the head honcho at the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners, and even as the chief of staff for then-Gov. Matt Blunt. But, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. He dipped out of Blunt’s office amid a nasty email retention scandal back in ‘07 and had quite the slugfest with the Eagle Forum, which by the way, was founded by the legendary conservative Phyllis Schlafly.

Controversial Remarks

Martin’s tongue has put him in hot water too. Remember back in 2015 when he went on his 'Politically Speaking' gig and ranted about putting a stop to all immigration because some folks apparently “refuse to assimilate”? Yeah, that didn’t win him any brownie points, especially not with the more liberal crowd.

Support for January 6 Defendants

Fast forward to the present, and it’s clear his support for the Jan. 6 troublemakers and his vows to defend Elon Musk’s controversial department didn’t help his case. I mean, come on, who promises to start lawsuits left and right?

Future Plans in the Department of Justice

But hey, Trump still thinks the guy’s got potential. Despite the hiccup, he’s planning to shuffle Martin over to the Department of Justice. Imagine that! From nearly heading the U.S. Attorney’s office to possibly diving into some juicy roles like Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and, get this, Pardon Attorney. That’s a mouthful! And let’s not forget – if the Senate had dragged their feet past May 20, a judge would’ve had to step in and appoint a temp U.S. attorney for D.C.

Confusion Among Missouri Republicans

It’s funny though, some Missouri Republicans were scratching their heads on how Martin even got nominated with zero prosecutorial experience. But, he did have some heavy hitters like Missouri U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt in his corner, cheering him on. Hawley even popped up on Steve Bannon’s podcast to rally the troops.

Criticism from All Sides

And while some are mum on the whole switcheroo, Carl Tobias, a law prof from the University of Richmond, reckons Trump dodged a bullet by pulling Martin’s nomination. According to him, Martin kinda shot himself in the foot with his short run as interim. He wasn’t exactly Mr. Popular, tripping up on a few major issues and rubbing tons of folks the wrong way. Speaking of no love, U.S. Rep. Welsey Bell from St. Louis County wasn’t shy about his displeasure either. He went on to slam Martin for cozying up to Russian TV, like, 150 times. Yeah, not really the best look when you’re supposed to be upholding U.S. law and order, right? With all that Russian airtime, folks were worried he might start echoing Putin, which definitely wouldn’t sit well given the whole Ukraine conflict. And to top it off, Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois didn’t hold back either. He straight up called Martin unfit for the U.S. attorney gig, stressing that the dude just doesn’t have the proper demeanor or judgment for such a critical position. Whew! So yeah, it’s been quite the rollercoaster for Martin, but hey, that’s the game of politics for you. One day you’re in, the next day…well, you know how it goes.