Ed Martin, nominated by President Donald Trump to be a U.S. Attorney, has apologized for praising a Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist, claiming he didn't know about his views.
"I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I've now seen it," Martin said in an interview, as reported by Forward. "At the time, I didn't know it," he added.
Martin had called Timothy Hale-Cusanelli "extraordinary" at an awards ceremony at Trump's golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, organized by the Patriot Freedom Project, a nonprofit that supports defendants charged for assaulting the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The man has been described by the Department of Justice as a Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist.
The outlet added that Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are looking to hold a hearing for Martin even though the process is usually skipped for U.S. Attorney nominees as a result of "shocking conduct" by Martin at the Bedminster event.
Martin said the event was followed by one on antisemitism held by Trump donor Miriam Adelson, and that he stayed for that one. He added that he serves as special adviser to Leo Terrell, head of the task force to fight antisemitism, and that he came up with an idea to go to 10 colleges and universities the administration says are not doing enough to protect Jewish students.
The nominee went on to say that the incident has made him "think and talk more" about the matter and "it's going to help me learn to be more careful and smart."
Martin also made headlines earlier this year after writing a letter to Elon Musk, vowing to shield DOGE employees from threats and legal repercussions, "no matter what."
"We must keep all our American government employees safe and we must protect the American people's property," he wrote, adding, "We will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people."
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