Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has launched an investigation into Ed Martin, who serves as both the pardon attorney and head of the new Weaponization Working Group.
Durbin cited Martin’s “disgraceful tenure” in a prior role as well as his “stated threats to abuse his positions at DOJ” as the rationale behind igniting the probe.
The letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asks for all Martin’s communications relating both to pardons and any work undertaken for the new working group.
“Following his disgraceful tenure as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Mr. Martin apparently plans to continue his misconduct in his new roles at DOJ,” he wrote.
Durbin pointed to a May 13 press conference Martin held before heading to his new role, saying he plans to “shame those [who the] DOJ does not have the evidence to charge.”
“If they can’t be charged, we will name them … and in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are shamed,’” Martin said.
Durbin said the statement was an “admission” he plans to abuse his power.
“These statements are a brazen admission that Mr. Martin plans to systematically violate the Justice Manual’s prohibition on extrajudicial statements by shaming uncharged parties for nakedly partisan reasons,” Durbin wrote.
“This plan clearly violates Mr. Martin’s obligations under the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibit prosecutors from ‘[making] extrajudicial comments which serve to heighten condemnation of the accused.’ Weaponizing DOJ in this manner will further undermine the public’s trust in the department in irreparable ways.”
Durbin also questioned Martin’s oversight of a series of pardons given by Trump that benefited his political allies.
The senator noted the recent pardon for nursing home executive Paul Walczak for tax fraud just three weeks after Walczak’s mother paid $1 million to attend a Trump fundraiser.
Trump also pardoned Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola Corporation, after Milton donated nearly $2 million to the Trump campaign last year, among others.
“Mr. Martin’s bald-faced ‘pay to play’ strategy is abusing the Office of the Pardon Attorney in multiple ways to benefit President Trump and his political allies,” Durbin wrote.
Martin is also planning a review of former President Biden’s pardon’s, included those given to his family members.
DOJ did not respond to request for comment.