The Acting Top Federal Prosecutor in Washington, Ed Martin, is Fuming Over Leaks and Attacks from Former Prosecutor
Ed Martin, the interim US attorney for DC, has been sending a series of angry emails to his staff, criticizing recent leaks to the press and specifically targeting a former official’s work on January 6 cases. Martin is furious that an email he sent on Monday was leaked almost immediately, and has launched an internal review of how prosecutors handled some January 6 cases.
In his Tuesday email, Martin lambasted a former prosecutor, Ashley Akers, who resigned from the office and has been criticizing Martin’s moves on TV. Akers condemned Martin’s attempts to impose Trump’s agenda on the Justice Department and his support for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Martin retaliated by instructing his staff to scrutinize Akers’ work on January 6 cases and to retrieve her records and emails.
Akers had appeared on multiple TV shows, criticizing Martin’s internal review of January 6 cases as a “wild goose chase” and calling his actions “appalling”. Martin responded by saying that he had never met Akers and found her comments “disconnected from reality”, and that he would be reaching out to her to discuss her concerns.
The latest email highlights Martin’s tumultuous first week as acting US attorney, during which he has faced pushback from career prosecutors and others who have quit the office in protest. Martin, a socially conservative activist and commentator, has been accused of imposing Trump’s agenda on the Justice Department, despite the President’s departure from office.
