The Department of Justice (DOJ) has appointed Ed Martin to oversee cases involving New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff. Martin will lead the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group, which aims to crack down on “abuses of the criminal justice process.” The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) made a criminal referral against James earlier this year, arguing that she named property in Virginia as her primary residence to secure more favorable loan terms. Similar allegations were also levied against Schiff, though both have denied wrongdoing. James argued that the review is retaliation for the attorney general’s handling of Trump cases relating to fraud claims against Trump Organization and a probe involving the National Rifle Association.
James scored a large victory in her civil suit against the then-former president, with a judge issuing a nearly half-billion-dollar penalty on Trump’s company after determining the business overvalued its assets. The investigation into the Empire State’s top prosecutor was launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, which issued two subpoenas this week. Martin, known for defending rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, was originally tapped to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, but his nomination was withdrawn amid an ethics probe.
