Durbin Statement On Ed Martin's Undisclosed Appearances On Russian State Media
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding reportsthat Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. Attorney for D.C., appeared on RT and Sputnik—networks funded and directed by the Russian government—150 times as a guest commentator from August 2016 to April 2024, something he failed to disclose in his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire:
“It is well-documented that Ed Martin is a Donald Trump loyalist who has embraced a Nazi sympathizer and attacked law enforcement who kept lawmakers and staff safe during the January 6 insurrection. The 150 undisclosed appearances Mr. Martin has made on Russian state media as recently as April of last year—as Russia was actively bombing Ukraine—raises further serious questions about whether he has the temperament to serve as U.S. Attorney, concerns that have been underlined by his misconduct as Interim U.S. Attorney.
“I understand that Chairman Grassley has submitted questions to Mr. Martin in response to the issues that Committee Democrats and I raised with respect to Mr. Martin’s record, and Mr. Martin will submit responses to our written questions during this April recess. However, today’s reporting is further evidence that the Committee must hold a hearing and hear from Ed Martin directly, under oath. We must take our constitutional duty of advice and consent seriously.”
Durbin has continuously called out Mr. Martin’s long record of objectionable statements and conduct. This includes: Mr. Martin repeatedly attacking law enforcement officers who kept members and staff safe during the January 6 insurrection and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who were assigned to prosecute the rioters who brutally attacked police officers; Mr. Martin calling Michael Fanone, a 20-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department who was nearly killed on January 6, “a fake cop”; Mr. Martin advocating for “less judgment on somebody who hit a cop” on January 6; Mr. Martin repeatedly attacking prosecutors who were assigned to work on January 6 cases, calling them “terrorists” and “despicable people who decided to do something wrong”; and Mr. Martin’s close relationship with Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a January 6 rioter and Nazi sympathizer whom he called an “extraordinary man, an extraordinary leader” who is “worthy of being listened to by lots of folks.”
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