Once back in office, President Donald Trump appointed Edward R. Martin Jr. to be the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. (Last week, Trump made it official by nominating Martin to take up the role permanently.)
In his first few days, according to Spencer S. Hsu and Tom Jackman of The Washington Post, Martin "moved quickly to align the office with President Donald Trump's political views." He has also threatened federal investigations of people engaged in speech that is unequivocally protected by the First Amendment.
Last week, in an email to staff, Martin announced "Operation Whirlwind," which he characterized as an attempt to "stop the storm of threats against officials at all levels." In the course of that investigation, Martin has targeted public officials, including two federal lawmakers.
