Justice Dept blasts ‘partisan’ DC Bar complaint against senior Trump official
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A senior Trump administration official and former acting U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. is facing a disciplinary review for his role in President Donald Trump’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiative – sparking outrage from the Justice Department, which called alleged ethics violations against Ed Martin a “partisan” effort and one that unfairly targets Trump and his allies.
The disciplinary charge, filed Friday with the D.C. Court of Appeals Board of Professional Responsibility and released Tuesday, focuses on a letter Martin sent to Georgetown Law last February while Martin was acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
Martin allegedly requested in the letter that Georgetown Law provide information about its DEI practices and teachings, according to the ethics complaint. It says that without “further explanation” and without receiving a response from Georgetown Law, Martin then announced that he would impose sanctions on the school – instructing his staff not to hire students, fellows or interns affiliated with the university.
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A sign at the U.S. Department of Justice is seen June 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Justice Department blasted news of the ethics complaint, telling Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the complaint represented another “clear indication” of unfair and “partisan” treatment by the Washington, D.C. bar association, a body they say has continued “to target and punish those who serve President Trump while refusing to investigate or take action on actual ethics violations committed by lawyers in the Biden and Obama administrations,” which is what the Department of Justice spokesperson said. Justice described as “a clear indication of the agenda of this partisan organization.”
The complaint was signed by D.C. Bar disciplinary counsel Hamilton Fox, whose role allows him to function similarly to a prosecutor in lawyer misconduct cases. Fox previously donated thousands of dollars to Obama’s first presidential campaign in 2008, according to FEC records reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The complaint accuses Martin of violating the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by using his role as a government official to demand that the university change its teachings; not having given the university a deadline to respond; and threatening adverse action against Georgetown Law for teaching a particular point of view.
It also accuses Martin of conducting unauthorized ex parte communications with the chief judge and senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after he was asked to respond to a complaint about his remarks to Georgetown Law. “In this letter, he stated that he would not respond to the Disciplinary Counselor’s investigation, complained about the Disciplinary Counselor’s ‘uneven behavior,’ and requested a ‘face-to-face meeting with all of you to discuss this matter and find a way forward,'” the complaint states, noting that Martin copied the White House counsel in the email.
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Ed Martin speaks during a press conference on May 13, 2025 in Washington, DC (Photo by Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Justice Department’s second-highest official, Todd Blanche, sharply criticized the complaint on social media Tuesday, noting: “The DC Bar is a political organization openly run by Democrats. »
“Thank God I’m not a member, and believe me, I never will be,” Blanche said in an article on His path to confirmation as U.S. attorney in Washington was blocked last year over concerns from some Senate Republicans, prompting Trump to nominate Martin last May to serve as Justice Department attorney.
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Emil Bove, now a U.S. judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, speaks with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche ahead of his 2025 confirmation hearing. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Trump also asked Martin at the time to lead the Justice Department’s so-called “arms task force,” or the newly formed internal agency within the DOJ tasked with investigating federal prosecutions viewed by the administration as unfairly partisan.
Martin was removed last month from his role as head of the task force, although no reason for his dismissal was immediately provided.
The complaint will now be sent back to the DC Court of Appeals for further steps and review – a notoriously lengthy process that will likely take months or longer.
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News of the ethics complaint comes just days after the Justice Department filed a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register that would allow the department to suspend state bar investigations while the DOJ conducts its own review.
