DOJ blasts 'partisan' DC Bar complaint against senior Trump official

A senior Trump administration official and former acting U.S. attorney for D.C. is under disciplinary review for his role in President Donald Trump's anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative — sparking outrage from the Justice Department, which assailed alleged ethics violations against Ed Martin as a "partisan" effort, and one that unfairly targets Trump and his allies. 

The disciplinary charge, filed Friday to the D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility and published Tuesday, centers on a letter sent by Martin to Georgetown Law last February while Martin was serving as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. 

Martin allegedly demanded in the letter that Georgetown Law provide information about its DEI practices and teachings, according to the ethics complaint. It states that without "further explanation," and without receiving a response from Georgetown Law, Martin then announced he would be imposing sanctions on the school — instructing his staff not to hire any students, fellows, or interns affiliated with the university.

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The Justice Department blasted news of the ethics complaint, telling Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the complaint represented yet another "clear indication" of unfair and "partisan" treatment from the D.C. Bar, a body they argued has continued "to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to investigate or act against actual ethical violations that were committed by Biden and Obama administration attorneys," representing what DOJ spokesperson described as "a clear indication of this partisan organization’s agenda."

The complaint was signed by the disciplinary counsel for the D.C. Bar, Hamilton Fox, whose role allows him to function similarly to a prosecutor for attorney misconduct cases.  Fox previously donated thousands 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 Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by using his role as a government official to demand that the university change its teachings; failing to give the university a time frame to respond; and threatening adverse action against Georgetown Law for teaching a particular viewpoint.

It also accuses Martin of conducting unauthorized, ex parte communications with the chief judge and senior judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after he was asked to respond to a complaint about his remarks to Georgetown Law. "In that letter, he stated that he would not be responding to Disciplinary Counsel's inquiry, complained about Disciplinary Counsel'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 said, noting that Martin had copied White House counsel onto the email. 

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The Justice Department's second-highest-ranking official, Todd Blanche, sharply criticized the complaint on social media Tuesday, noting: "The DC Bar is such a blatantly Democrat-run political organization."

"Thank God I’m not a member, and trust me, I never will be," Blanche said in a post on X.Martin, a former defense attorney who helped represent individuals charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, has made headlines during his short time at DOJ. His path to confirmation to serve as U.S. Attorney for D.C. stalled last year amid concerns from some Senate Republicans, prompting Trump to install Martin last May as the Justice Department's pardon attorney. 

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Trump also tapped Martin at the time to head up the Justice Department’s so-called "Weaponization Working Group," or the newly formed internal body within DOJ tasked with probing federal prosecutions viewed by the administration as unfairly partisan. 

Martin was removed last month from his role heading up the working group, though no reason for his removal was immediately provided. 

The complaint will now be kicked to D.C. Court of Appeals for next steps and review — a notoriously lengthy process that will likely take months, if not longer.

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.