US president Donald Trump on Thursday said he would withdraw Ed Martin Jr’s nomination for leading the US attorney’s office for the district of Columbia, following rising bipartisan opposition and questions around Martin’s qualifications and judgment.The final blow came when Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina and a member of the senate judiciary committee, said he could not support Martin due to his defence of rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.“We have somebody else that will be great,” Trump said, calling the development “disappointing,” but acknowledging it was a political reality.Martin, a Trump loyalist, was a central figure in Trump’s “Stop the steal” campaign and had openly backed several individuals charged in the Capitol riot. More than 100 former prosecutors from the DC office publicly opposed his nomination, saying it would damage the office’s longstanding commitment to justice. Martin also faced criticism for firing or demoting staff involved in politically sensitive cases and for failing to disclose over 150 appearances on Russian state-funded media outlets. Despite support from right-wing figures like Elon Musk and Charlie Kirk, Martin’s nomination quickly unravelled under the weight of public scrutiny. His temporary appointment is set to expire on May 20.
