Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is refusing to say whether he’ll support Ed Martin as the next U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, The Federalist has learned.
A former chair of the Missouri Republican Party, Martin has served as interim attorney for the nation’s capital since being tapped for the role by President Trump shortly after the latter’s inauguration. Trump subsequently nominated Martin to fill the position permanently in February, teeing up a Senate battle that will require Martin to be confirmed before his temporary appointment expires on May 20.
Despite his ongoing efforts to restore accountability and transparency to the D.C. office and Justice Department, Martin’s confirmation is facing apparent resistance from members of the Senate GOP establishment.
Throughout the past few weeks, the South Carolina Republican has seemingly played coy when pressed on Martin’s confirmation battle. (Martin has previously issued statements critical of Graham, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee now considering whether to advance Martin’s nomination to the full Senate floor.)
Last week, Graham “told CNN he didn’t know whether Martin’s nomination was in jeopardy, but … said separately that ‘there were some things that were left out of his filings that I want to look at,’” according to the outlet. The Palmetto State senator also reportedly “dodged questions about Martin” when pressed by the Washington Examiner, saying of the nominee, “We’ll see where that goes.”
In an attempt to clarify Graham’s stance on Martin’s nomination, The Federalist reached out to the Republican senator’s office to see whether he will vote to confirm Martin as U.S. attorney for the D.C. office. Graham’s office did not respond to the request before publication, however.
Graham previously voted to confirm Biden appointees Merrick Garland (attorney general) and Lloyd Austin (defense secretary).
The lack of response from Graham comes following the Tuesday announcement from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., another member of the Judiciary Committee, who revealed his plans to oppose Martin’s nomination for the D.C.-based post. The Tarheel State senator cited the acting attorney’s stance on Jan. 6 as a contributing factor to his opposition.
Martin’s confirmation prospects did receive welcome news on Tuesday, however, when Judiciary Committee member and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, declared his intent to support the nominee.
“When he comes up for a vote, I intend to support him,” Cornyn said. “I tend to defer to the president on his choices.”
When pressed by The Federalist, Cornyn’s office declined to specify what the Lonestar State senator is doing to help get Martin’s nomination across the finish line. Instead, a Cornyn representative provided The Federalist with the senator’s public remarks backing Martin’s confirmation.
Other GOP senators to recently espouse their support for Martin include Josh Hawley of Missouri, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Mike Lee of Utah.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
Jesus Christ is King
