Trump’s Pick To Be U.S. Attorney For D.C. Made Over 150 Appearances On Russian State Media – And Failed To Disclose Them

Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s pick for Washington D.C.’s U.S. attorney, made more than 150 appearances on Russian state media.

Martin appeared on networks funded by the Russian government from August 2016 to April 2024 as a guest commentator on RT and Sputnik.

Serving as Interim U.S. Attorney, Martin has already been controversial. Last month, he said his office would examine Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the Democratic leader in the Senate, after people working for Elon Musk to downsize the government said they had been threatened.

Martin promoted conspiracy theories while on Russia TV. After various people died in a chemical attack in Syria in April 2017, Martin appeared on RT America to claim that it was possible the incident was “engineered” in Washington “by the people [who] want war in Syria.”

At the time, the White House blamed the Syrian government and ordered a missile strike.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad replied to these actions, saying that the United States “fabricated the whole story in order to have a pretext” for a missile strike.

In early 2022, Martin stated in another appearance that there is “no evidence” of a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s borders.

Russia launched a war against Ukraine nearly a week later.

In March 2022, the U.S. attorney candidate said the U.S. should form an alliance with Russia.

“We needed to be allies with nuclear powers like Russia,” he declared on Sputnik. “What Trump knew was you want to be allies with the toughest dudes on the street. And he was ready to be allies with North Korea and with Putin and everybody.”

Martin did not reveal that he made these appearances on Russian TV when Trump nominated him as D.C.’s U.S. attorney.

He also failed to reveal these appearances on his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire, which asks about media appearances, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), a ranking member of the committee, said in a statement.

“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,” Durbin said.

A spokesperson for Martin told the outlet on April 15 that he “has disclosed all of the identified links in a supplemental letter to the Senate” in the past two days.

The spokesperson added, “This is a routine activity in preparation for confirmation,” and referred questions to the White House.

When asked about his guest spots on Russian state media, the White House supported Martin.

“President Trump made a brilliant choice in selecting Ed Martin to serve a full, permanent term as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” a spokesperson said. “With a distinguished record of service, Ed is the perfect leader to restore law and order and make our Nation’s Capital safe and beautiful once again.”

Martin also has a history of strongly opposing abortion. At one point, he supported a national ban with no exceptions.