Newly Appointed Weaponization Czar: Ed Martin, quietly probed Russiagate foes for months

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After a revolt in the GOP-led Senate tanked interim US attorney for DC Ed Martin’s nomination this week, President Trump abruptly named him as his weaponization czar, seemingly as a consolation prize.

But behind the scenes, Martin has spent months leveraging his perch as top federal DC prosecutor and quietly operating as a tip of the spear in the administration’s war against Russiagate villains, Capitol riot prosecutions and lawfare, The Post has learned.

Now that his responsibilities have been sharpened, Martin anticipates there “may be no limit to the targets” the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group will pursue under his watch, since there “was no limit to the weaponization.”

“It’s a nationwide and frankly, international docket where the government was used against the citizens, where the government was weaponized,” Martin told The Post about his plans for the weaponization working group.

“Sometimes there’ll be crimes involved, in which case we’ll prosecute. Sometimes there’ll be just the need to make clear this is not how it’s supposed to go.”

Ed Martin said that there might be no limit to the Weaponization Working Group’s potential targets.

Martin’s Russiagate targets

Shortly after Trump tapped him as interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, a post that expires on May 20, Martin quickly demoted over half a dozen prosecutors involved with Capitol riot cases and fired off investigatory letters to key Russiagate actors.

This includes Andrew Weissman, the Mueller probe “pitbull;” Mary McCord, who oversaw DOJ’s sprawling probe into possible Trump-Russia ties; Aaron Zelinsky, another Mueller probe prosecutor; and Charles McGonigal, a former FBI special agent in charge who also worked on the Russia probe of the Trump campaign.

FBI agent on Russia probe who had ties to oligarch

Just last week, Martin’s office fired off an email to McGonigal’s attorney, asking for an interview with him over “information [that] has come to the attention of my office,” according to a copy of the letter first seen by The Post.

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