Outcry as DC US attorney claims he and colleagues are ‘President Trump’s lawyers’

The interim US attorney for Washington DC Ed Martin has explicitly declared himself and other federal attorneys to be the president’s lawyers rather than an independent, law-abiding officer sworn to uphold the constitution.

“As President Trumps’ [sic] lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our President and we are vigilant in standing against entities like the AP that refuse to put America first,” the US attorney’s office posted in a image on X, signed by Martin.

The statement directly contradicts the federal oath of office Martin swore, which requires attorneys to “conduct myself uprightly and according to law” and “support the constitution of the United States” – with no mention of personal loyalty to any president.

This post follows a pattern of controversial actions by Martin, who recently promised the billionaire Elon Musk he would “pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work” related to Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency”. Without filing any charges, Martin claimed his office had evidence people “committed acts that appear to violate the law” against Musk’s initiative.

Martin has also ordered a review of Capitol attack prosecutions, calling the office’s previous work “a great failure” just weeks after Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with January 6, according to an email seen by the Washington Post.

Some congressional Democrats immediately condemned Martin’s statement. The Florida congressman Maxwell Frost called for Martin’s resignation, writing: “US attorneys are not the President’s lawyers. They are the United States’ lawyers.”

The Virginia congressman Don Beyer posted: “Washingtonians deserve federal law enforcement who will protect their rights without violating the constitution, and focus on fighting crime rather than trying to censor the free press and political opponents. Basic understanding of punctuation would be nice, also.”

The justice department has historically maintained independence from White House influence to ensure equal application of the law. Martin’s office did not respond to a request for comment on how his declaration aligns with this tradition or his sworn constitutional duties.