Washington
After Jeanine Pirro picked to replace Edward Martin, a potential pivotal change looms for Justice Department post in Washington
The collapse of the nomination of Edward Martin as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia — and the surprise announcement of FOX News personality Jeanine Pirro as his replacement — has triggered a unique and mixed wave of reaction from former prosecutors, President Trump’s critics and people involved in the U.S. Capitol riot prosecutions.
The selection of Pirro, an ardent loyalist of Mr. Trump and a cable news fixture who spread claims of a rigged 2020 election, has triggered a wave of criticism from some Democrats. But the implosion of Martin’s nomination for the top D.C. prosecutor post has drawn celebratory statements from Mr. Trump’s other critics and potentially softened some of the backlash against the choice of Pirro.
Martin, a “Stop the Steal” advocate and MAGA political activist, was among the crowd outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He defended Capitol riot cases, including the case of an accused Nazi-sympathizer, and made frequent appearances on Russian-linked media outlets and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s program.
Named acting U.S. Attorney on Inauguration Day 2025 by Mr. Trump, Martin promptly fired prosecutors who handled some of the Jan. 6 criminal cases. In the weeks before it became clear his confirmation was blocked by at least one Republican Senator, Martin frequently posted on social media, including one X post in which he controversially referred to U.S. Attorneys as “Trump’s lawyers.”
“Ed Martin’s appointment was about rewriting the history of January 6, so having him specifically gone is a huge step forward, even if he’s replaced by another TV lawyer,” said Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department attorney who handled Jan. 6 criminal cases.
Ballou, who a year ago was immersed in the Capitol riot case of a group from Lakeland, Florida, who’d gone on the run from authorities shortly after their charges were filed, told CBS News that Martin is better suited for a position where, instead, “He can just tweet.” Ballou resigned from his position shortly after Martin was named acting U.S. Attorney in January.
As for Martin’s would-be successor, Pirro — who is a former judge and prosecutor — Ballou said, “I think these TV lawyers will struggle to get the respect of the judges.”
Although Congressional Democrats issued waves of statements and comments criticizing Martin, the response to Pirro’s selection was more muted in its first 48 hours.
Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who led opposition against Martin’s nomination, responded tersely to Pirro’s selection, posting on social media, “Because the other Fox News host in this administration is doing such a stellar job.”
One former assistant U.S. Attorney who worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia told CBS News there were no immediate red flags about Pirro that compared to concerns about Martin.
Another former assistant U.S. Attorney said Pirro would have to shift from her provocative TV pronouncements to abide by the Justice Department’s tradition of not “tarnishing someone’s name in public until we can prove it in court beyond a reasonable doubt, they committed a crime. Yet on her show, Pirro has time and time again amplified truly wild conspiracy theories.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican who publicly declared his opposition to Martin’s nomination, promptly posted a statement of support for Pirro, an indication that GOP opposition might be non-existent for her service as U.S. Attorney.
Michael Caputo, an aide to Martin, told CBS News, “Many of us are angry that Senator Tillis broke faith with President Trump, but Jeanine Pirro is a tremendous pick as successor to Ed Martin. I’m also excited for Ed’s next role with the Justice Department. I’m definitely buying more popcorn.”
Martin will instead be assigned to a Justice Department task force and will serve as a pardon attorney.
The U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. has a unique portfolio, including federal corruption cases, high-profile defendants and a large set of local criminal prosecutions in the D.C. Superior Court. Pirro will be handling a distinctively broad set of cases, ranging from government fraud to local burglaries and domestic violence.
In the days after the announcement, the response to Pirro’s nomination fell along party lines.
Patrick Mara, a Republican party leader in Washington, D.C., told CBS News: “I am optimistic on her nomination and hope she uses her prosecutorial experience to the fullest extend to crackdown on violent crime in D.C.”
“We look forward to working with her on this. The D.C. Council has created an environment where violent crime is able to flourish,” Mara said.
Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Maryland Democrat who once served as a federal prosecutor, told CBS News that the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia is a very important posting.
“From local violent crimes and community intervention programs to national security matters and the January 6th insurrectionists, this prosecutor’s job needs serious courtroom skills, managerial experience and sound judgement not just looking good on a TV talk show, salacious soundbite or worse yet – uttering of outright falsehoods on voting machines or other issues important to the American people,” he said.
For Jan. 6 victims and police responders, the collapse of Martin’s nomination outweighed concerns about Pirro.
“I’m glad that Mr. Martin won’t be serving the people of Washington, D.C,” Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who testified at a public hearing of the Jan. 6 Select Committee, told CBS News. “For him to even have been nominated is disgusting considering how he feels about January 6th.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who was a member of the Jan. 6 committee, was critical of Martin, but also has blasted the selection of Pirro.
“The U.S. Attorney in D.C. should have unquestioned commitment to justice, public integrity and the truth,” he said. “Jeanine Pirro has used her platform at Fox News to promote dangerous conspiracy theories and to traffic in election lies so outlandish they landed her network in court and cost it hundreds of millions of dollars. America deserves a serious public lawyer of the highest scruples, not another election-denying Fox Corporation propagandist.”
The Justice Department did respond to requests for information about the timing of a transition from Martin to Pirro at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.
Receding waters allowed residents of Burlington, Washington, to assess damage and clean up after record flooding. (AP video: Manuel Valdes)
Receding waters allowed residents of Burlington, Washington, to assess damage and clean up after record flooding. (AP video: Manuel Valdes)
The New York Giants (2-11) and Washington Commanders (3-10) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 15 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Opening the week, the Giants were listed as 1.5-point home favorites, but that line has shifted slightly with New York now at -2.5 as of this writing.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Commanders Wire managing editor Bryan Manning.
Is Daniel Snyder back in charge? Explain the fall from NFC Championship Game to 3-10.
Manning: There have been so many factors in Washington’s fall this year. The year they’re having right now is probably the one everyone expected a year ago. The roster was in bad shape due to Ron Rivera whiffing on four drafts, but GM Adam Peters needs more from his draft picks. Is it coaching? We’ve already seen the DC “reassigned.” Injuries have played a role. Look, I saw questions on this roster before the injuries, but they haven’t helped. Daniels being in and out of the lineup hasn’t helped. McLaurin holding out over the summer really changed things. When you add it all together, it’s the perfect storm of terrible.
It’s been an odd season for Jayden Daniels, who is now out on Sunday. What have you seen from him in Year 2, and what do you expect from him moving forward?
Jayden has been let down a bit by the team. If anyone watched him last year, they’d know he was the reason this team won 12 games and made it to the NFC championship. He erased deficits. No third down was too long. He was automatic on fourth downs. However, McLaurin’s holdout, Noah Brown being out for so long, and Austin Ekeler’s injury crushed the offense. A rotating cast of wide receivers, often called up from the practice squad, has hampered the offense. The injuries were more bad luck than anything. And I believe Jayden could play through them, outside of the initial elbow injury. This offseason should be about finding a 1B to McLaurin’s 1A.
What does the loss of Zach Ertz mean for Washington’s offense, especially with Marcus Mariota under center?
Losing Ertz hurts. While he had some issues with drops at times, and he was no longer a threat after the catch, the quarterbacks trusted Ertz. He consistently gets open, even at 35. A great leader, and he’s still a productive player. His shoes are big. The hope is Ben Sinnott can be the guy. I am not confident he is ready to do some of the things Ertz did. Mariota, like Daniels, always trusts Ertz on third downs and inside the red zone.
Jonathan Jones and Bobby Wagner are banged up. What do they mean to the defense, and who steps in if they can’t go on Sunday?
Jones missed a lot of time earlier this season. When he returned, the Commanders lost Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos for the season. Jones is a solid veteran who can play inside and outside, and Washington doesn’t have a lot of cornerback depth now. The defense has stunk regardless of who has played in the secondary, so I am not sure we will notice much. Wagner is still a solid player, but teams wisely attack him in the passing game. That’s his weakness now as a 14th-year pro. He is still excellent against the run or as a blitzer. But he’s a massive liability in coverage. Jordan Magee has played a lot lately, but I would like to see him play the MIKE one entire game in place of Wagner, just to see what he can do.
How do you see Sunday’s game playing out, who wins, and what’s the final score?
These games are always crazy. I feel like it’s always the Giants and Commanders fighting for draft position late in the season. It’s unfortunate for both franchises. While I still like the future outlook for both teams, this game is for nothing more than who will pick higher in the draft. Although the players do not care. The Giants are playing better. Sure, the wins haven’t come, but they will on Sunday. Another close one, but New York wins, 24-20.
And while the river did see record flows at Mount Vernon, both the dikes and a downtown floodwall held up. The city isn’t out of the woods yet — Ezelle said the Skagit could return to a major flood stage next week.
In the nearby town of Burlington, the river did overtop a slough off the Skagit. Officials sent a warning early Friday morning to evacuate for all 11,000 Burlington residents as some neighborhoods and roadways flooded, though not all of them ultimately needed to leave.
“In the middle of the night, about a thousand people had to flee their homes in a really dire situation,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a news conference on Friday afternoon.
The flood event has set records across Washington state and it prompted officials to ask about 100,000 people to evacuate this week, forced dozens of rescues and caused widespread destruction of roads and other infrastructure.
Washington state is prone to intense spells of fall rainfall, but these storms have been exceptional. The atmospheric rivers this week dumped as much as 16 inches of rain in Washington’s Cascade mountains over about three days, according to National Weather Service data.
Because many rivers and streams were already running high and the soil was already saturated, the water tore through lowland communities. The Skagit River system is the third biggest on the U.S. west coast, and at Mount Vernon, this is the highest the river has ever run in recorded history.
“There has been no reported loss of life at this time,” Ferguson said. “The situation is very dynamic, but we’re exceedingly grateful.”
By Friday afternoon, while many roadways near Burlington remained closed, parts of downtown bustled with car traffic, as national guardsmen were waving people away from road closures and curious residents were out snapping photos of the swollen Skagit. Downstream, in the town of Conway, a tree trunk and the metal siding of a trailer could be seen racing away in the current.
The dramatic week of flooding sets the stage for a difficult recovery, in a growing state that’s already struggling to provide shelter to homeless residents. It’s not clear how many homes have been damaged, but neighborhoods in dozens of towns and cities took on water. Recovery won’t be quick — after flooding in 2021, some residents who lost their homes were displaced for months.
President Donald Trump on Friday signed the state’s request for an expedited emergency declaration, which will enable people to seek individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for things like temporary housing and home repairs. The measure will also allow state and local governments to seek federal assistance to remove debris and repair roads, bridges, water facilities and other infrastructure.
The Trump administration has made suggestions it would overhaul FEMA and prove less disaster relief to states. In left-leaning Washington, the president’s pen to paper offered another an initial sigh of relief.
“One of the challenges that we’ve had with the administration in the past is that they don’t really want to do longer term recovery,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, who represents Burlington and Mount Vernon. In an interview with NBC News, Larsen added that the declaration was “an indication that they understand how disastrous this particular disaster is and we’re not out of it yet.”
The next atmospheric river storm on tap will likely arrive Sunday night.
Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Seattle, said a few days of dry weather will allow most rivers to recede, before they begin to swell again on Tuesday, as the rainfall pulses downstream.
Lowland parts of western Washington will receive about an inch of rain during the storm; the mountains could get up to three.
“It could possibly either prolong flooding or cause renewed flooding on some of the rivers,” Michalski said. “A few rivers may bump back into flood stage moving into the Tuesday, Wednesday time frame, but we’re not expecting widespread major flood levels like we have seen.”
After Wednesday, the forecast calls for more rain in lowland Washington and heavy snow in the Cascades.
“It does not let up,” Michalski said.
Ferguson said the situation would remain “dynamic and unpredictable” over the next week.
“This is not just a one- or two- day crisis. These water levels have been historic and they’re going to remain very high for an extended period of time,” Ferguson said. “That puts pressure on our infrastructure. The infrastructure has, for the most part, withstood the challenge so far.”
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