Trump DOJ Pardon Attorney Launches Unhinged Attack on GOP Senator Blocking Trump Picks

Ed Martin, a notorious Trump Department of Justice official with deep ties to the “Stop the Steal” movement, unleashed a blistering and bizarre attack on Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) this week after Tillis pushed back against Trump’s judicial and DOJ nominees.

Tillis has been a thorn in Trump’s side, refusing to confirm a new Federal Reserve chair unless the DOJ dropped its investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell. He also vowed not to approve any new attorney general nominee who had previously excused the January 6th Capitol attack. Politico reported Tillis saying he would “apply the Martin standard” for any nominee, a pointed reference to Ed Martin’s controversial tenure.

Martin, who was withdrawn as Trump’s U.S. attorney nominee after Tillis and other GOP senators opposed him, recently returned to the DOJ as a pardon attorney. Using the official DOJ Twitter account, Martin fired off a series of hostile tweets targeting Tillis. He accused the senator of “memory issues” and referenced a call where Tillis allegedly tried to block a pardon for one of his constituents.

After deleting the initial tweet, Martin doubled down on his personal Twitter account, telling Tillis to “just go to Hell” and calling him “deranged” for past comments about Ashli Babbitt, the January 6 rioter who was shot and killed. Martin capped his rant with a MAGA slogan: “The TILLIS Standard: MAGA doesn’t forget losers!”

Tillis responded with a measured rebuke, clarifying that the constituent pardon he opposed was for Greg Lindberg, a convicted fraudster who bilked North Carolinians out of billions and attempted to bribe officials. “Keep up the great work, Ed,” Tillis shot back, underscoring the stark contrast between legitimate accountability and Martin’s reckless attacks.

Politico’s Kyle Cheney highlighted the stakes, questioning whether other DOJ officials approved Martin’s incendiary attack on a pivotal Senate vote. Tillis’s support remains crucial for Trump’s agenda, and Martin’s reckless behavior risks further fracturing GOP unity.

This episode exposes the toxic dynamics within Trump’s DOJ ranks, where loyalty to the former president and his conspiracies often trumps professionalism and respect for democratic norms. Martin’s outburst is not just a personal vendetta—it’s emblematic of the broader culture of intimidation and retribution that continues to undermine accountability in government.

As Trump’s allies weaponize pardon power and DOJ positions to reward loyalty and punish dissent, senators like Tillis stand as rare gatekeepers trying to uphold some semblance of rule of law. Martin’s attack is a warning sign of how far Trump’s influence still reaches—and how aggressively it lashes out at those who dare to resist.