The White House will unveil a new nominee to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, following resistance to the administration’s current pick, according to President Donald Trump.
Trump had nominated Ed Martin, a former defense attorney who represented Americans charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, for the role. Martin has taken on the responsibilities of the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., since January.
However, the Senate has held up confirming Martin, amid concerns from lawmakers. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Tuesday he wouldn’t endorse Martin.
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Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also opposed Ed Martin’s nomination. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also opposed Martin’s nomination. Specifically, Durbin said Martin provided several false statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
On Thursday, Trump suggested he would put forward another candidate who would receive broader backing than Martin.
“He wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday. “You know, he’s done a very good job. Crime is down 25% in DC during this period of time… I can only lift that little phone so many times of the day. But we have somebody else.”
“I have to be straight. I was disappointed,” Trump said. “A lot of people were disappointed. But that’s the way it works. Sometimes, you know, that’s the way it works. And he wasn’t rejected, but we felt it would be very – it would be hard. And we have somebody else that will be announcing over the next two days who’s going to be great.”
But Trump signaled later in the day that Martin’s career with the Trump administration wasn’t completely shot. Trump suggested he might nominate Martin for another role down the line.
“He’s going to have a wonderful future, maybe with us,” Trump said.
TRUMP NOMINATES JAN. 6 DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR TOP PROSECUTOR ROLE IN DC
Sen. Thom Tillis said he would not support President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney, Ed Martin. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump’s decision to replace Martin came amid a May 20 deadline to confirm the former defense attorney and “Stop the Steal” organizer. That’s because if the Senate fails to confirm a U.S. attorney nominee within 120 days, federal district court judges may select an interim U.S. attorney, according to the Department of Justice.
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Judge James Boasberg is the current chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Boasberg has become intertwined in several key cases against the Trump administration and has attracted scrutiny from the White House for blocking deportation flights in March.
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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