Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, announced an investigation into threats against federal officials, including a suspected plot targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A woman was arrested after driving from Massachusetts with incendiary weapons, and prosecutors plan to charge her with multiple crimes. Martin, recently nominated by Trump for the permanent position, emphasized his commitment to protecting federal workers amid threats against his office after indictments related to January 6. He also contacted Senator Chuck Schumer regarding comments linked to threats against Supreme Court justices. His leadership has faced upheaval, exemplified by the resignation of a key prosecutor.
Ed Martin, the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, informed his staff on Wednesday that his office was probing multiple threats directed at federal employees and officials, including an alleged scheme to attack Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In an email obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Martin provided limited information regarding the plot, noting that a woman had driven to Washington from Massachusetts last month carrying “incendiary weapons” and was subsequently arrested. He did not disclose her name but mentioned that prosecutors intended to “charge her with every crime possible.”
Mr. Martin, who was nominated by President Trump this week to lead the prosecutors’ office permanently, also indicated that he had conversed with a senior member of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency regarding threats made against the agency’s staff. In a letter shared on social media, addressed to Mr. Musk this month, Mr. Martin pledged to investigate allegations brought forth by Mr. Musk concerning harassment faced by some of his employees.
The overarching message from Mr. Martin was a commitment to not tolerate threats against anyone in federal service. Yet, as a Trump loyalist who was present outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Mr. Martin has shown a selective approach to which government employees he prioritizes for protection.
“We are the DC U.S. Attorney’s office; we are the protectors of federal workers,” he stated. “You and I must do everything within our power to ensure that government work remains safe for everyone involved. We need to safeguard our police officers, our prosecutors, our DOGE staff, the President, and all other government personnel.”
In the email, Mr. Martin revealed that the U.S. Attorney’s office had been “overwhelmed with threats” following the dismissal of numerous indictments related to the Capitol attack by him and his team.
In relaying this information, Mr. Martin employed politically charged language reminiscent of statements by Mr. Trump supporting the rioters. He indicated that threats directed at his office were aimed at “those who helped liberate the January 6th detainees.”
As part of Mr. Trump’s extensive clemency grant to nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with January 6, Mr. Martin took the initiative to dismiss certain criminal cases implicating rioters who attacked Capitol Police officers. He also stood by as the Justice Department removed over a dozen prosecutors from his office who were involved in cases concerning the Capitol riots.
Since assuming control of the U.S. Attorney’s office last month, Mr. Martin has frequently sent unusual, almost daily emails to his staff. The one on Wednesday was particularly striking in its candidness regarding the sensitive investigation into the threat against Mr. Hegseth and suggested that Mr. Martin was directly engaging with senior members of Mr. Musk’s team.
In another unexpected move, Mr. Martin shared in his email that he had reached out to Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader from New York, to investigate what he characterized as threats made by Mr. Schumer against Supreme Court justices.
During a rally for abortion rights in March 2020, while the court deliberated a significant abortion case, Mr. Schumer appeared to address Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh, stating they had “released the whirlwind” and would “pay the price.”
Mr. Martin seemingly tried to link those remarks from Mr. Schumer to the arrest over two years later of a California man, Nicholas Roske, who was apprehended near Justice Kavanaugh’s residence in Maryland, armed with a gun and a knife, and carrying zip ties. Mr. Roske is currently awaiting trial on charges of federal assassination.
A spokesperson for Mr. Schumer did not respond to requests for comments.
The email regarding the threats arrived at a difficult time for Mr. Martin, who has had a tumultuous relationship with many of the hundreds of prosecutors under his leadership.
On Tuesday, Denise Cheung, who led the office’s criminal division, abruptly resigned after rejecting a request from superiors in the Justice Department to freeze the assets of a government contractor, asserting there was insufficient evidence to warrant such action. In her resignation letter, Ms. Cheung detailed how Mr. Martin had asked her to resign after she declined to instruct a bank to freeze the contractor’s accounts.