DOJ's Ed Martin faces ethics probe by District of Columbia Bar
Ed Martin speaks at a news conference May 13, 2025, in Washington. (Photo by Craig Hudson/For The Washington Post)
The District of Columbia Bar's disciplinary arm has filed ethics charges against Ed Martin, a senior U.S. Department of Justice official in the Trump administration, accusing him of sending a threatening letter to the Georgetown University Law Center.
Martin sent the letter to the law school in February 2025 while serving as the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. The letter asserted that his then-office would not hire anyone affiliated with the school because of its apparent diversity, equity and inclusion practices, according to court filings.
Martin, who organized President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” effort after his 2020 election defeat, is now the DOJ’s pardon attorney. He faces two counts of misconduct, according to the filing submitted Friday before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals’ Board on Professional Responsibility but made public Tuesday.
In the filing, Hamilton P. Fox III, the disciplinary counsel, accuses Martin of violating his oath of office after swearing to support the U.S. Constitution, conducting unauthorized ex parte communications with a judge, and “engaging in conduct that seriously interferes with the administration of justice.”
“Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of ‘DEI,’” Fox wrote in the complaint. “He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to continue to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students.”
Martin was removed from his role as the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., because he did not have the U.S. Senate votes for confirmation. He did not return a request for comment sent to him via LinkedIn. Last month, he was also removed from his role as the head of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Weaponization Working Group, according to a story by CBS News.
“The D.C. Bar is such a blatantly Democrat-run political organization,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on social media in response. “Thank God I’m not a member, and trust me, I never will be.”
Emily Covington, a DOJ spokesperson, said in a statement the D.C. Bar’s “attempt to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to investigate or act against actual ethical violations that were committed by Biden and Obama administration attorneys is a clear indication of this partisan organization’s agenda.”
Last week, Bondi proposed a new rule to try to stall or delay bar associations from conducting such investigations into lawyers at the department.
The New York Times and Law.com also have coverage.
See also:
Justice Dept. demotes Ed Martin, stripping Trump ally of most authority
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