During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about US Attorney for DC, Ed Martin and his ties to alleged Nazi sympathizer, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. President, one of the most important appointments of a President of the United States is U.S. Attorney.
00:05All across the United States, some 90 U.S. Attorneys represent the Department of Justice.
00:10They do critical work, work that is essential for the safety and security of America.
00:16And the announcement by this administration of Edward Robert Martin, Jr.
00:23to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
00:26raises so many questions that I've come to the floor today.
00:30Prior to his appointment as an interim U.S. Attorney,
00:34Mr. Edward Robert Martin, Jr. made stunning attacks on federal prosecutors
00:40and associated himself with individuals who present a threat to our nation.
00:45Mr. Martin was the leader of the so-called, quote, Stop the Steal Movement,
00:50which illegally and from a ridiculous point of view
00:57pushed that the 2020 election was not determinative of who was elected President.
01:03Mr. Martin himself was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th
01:09and has repeatedly downplayed the violence perpetrated against law enforcement that day.
01:14That happens to be a crime scene which I'm familiar with as a member of the Senate
01:19because we were exposed to the crowd storming into the Capitol,
01:23storming into the floor of the Senate chamber.
01:26Mr. Martin posted the following on social media, quote,
01:30Like Mardi Gras in D.C. today, love, faith, and joy, ignore fake news, close quote.
01:38That's Mr. Martin's description of what was happening in this Capitol building
01:41as 140 law enforcement officers were being attacked.
01:46Mr. Martin once labeled federal prosecutors in D.C.
01:52Mr. Martin once labeled federal prosecutors in D.C.
01:56employees of the very office he now seeks to lead as terrorists, quote, unquote,
02:01for pursuing stiff sentence against violent January 6th rioters.
02:05Mr. Martin said, and get this, quote,
02:08Oath keepers are all of us in response to a Justice Department prosecution
02:14of the leader of this domestic violent extremist organization for seditious conspiracy.
02:21Mr. Martin called prosecutors' treatment of insurrectionist Christopher Worrell outrageous.
02:27This is a man seeking full-time position as U.S. Attorney
02:31saying that the prosecution of Christopher Worrell was outrageous.
02:36He falsely claimed Mr. Worrell was only in the fray a bit, not much, but a bit.
02:41In fact, Mr. Worrell, a member of Proud Boys, was sentenced to 10 years in prison
02:47for assaulting a group of police officers here in the Capitol with deadly and dangerous weapons.
02:53The very day that Mr. Martin called Mr. Worrell's treatment by prosecutors outrageous,
02:58Mr. Worrell was a fugitive from the law.
03:01He had cut off his GPS ankle monitor four days before his scheduled sentencing
03:06on August 14th, 2023, and was not apprehended until six weeks later.
03:13Mr. Martin also has extensive ties to this man.
03:22His name is Timothy Hale Cuccinelli.
03:27He was a January 6th rioter who prosecutors describe as a subscriber of, quote,
03:33white supremacist, Nazi sympathizer ideologies that drive his enthusiasm for another civil war, end of quote.
03:41At Mr. Hale Cuccinelli's sentencing hearing, Judge Trevor McFadden,
03:46who was appointed by President Trump, said, quote, of Mr. Hale Cuccinelli before him,
03:55statements and actions like yours make Jewish people less safe and less confident
04:00they can participate as equal members of our society.
04:04Beyond inaccurately portraying Mr. Hale Cuccinelli as a victim of an unjust conviction,
04:10Mr. Martin has inexplicably praised Mr. Hale Cuccinelli's character and intellect,
04:16despite Mr. Hale Cuccinelli's extensive, well-known personal history of anti-Semitism, misogyny, and racism.
04:26According to one of his co-workers, Mr. Hale Cuccinelli once said, and I quote,
04:31Hitler should have finished the job, close quote.
04:35Further, Mr. Hale Cuccinelli reportedly claimed that he would kill all Jews and eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
04:41and he wouldn't need to season them because the salt from their tears would make it flavorful enough.
04:47Can you imagine this statement being made by a man who is a close friend of the President's suggestion
04:53for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia?
04:57One co-worker recalled Mr. Hale Cuccinelli saying that, quote,
05:01babies born with deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead, close quote.
05:07When I told authorities that Mr. Hale Cuccinelli referred to black people, I can't use the words.
05:12I can't repeat them on the floor of the Senate, but it is terrible.
05:16According to videos Mr. Hale Cuccinelli himself recorded while storming the Capitol on January 6th,
05:22he berated an officer guarding the West Front of the Capitol, stating, F-you, the revolution will be televised, close quote.
05:32Days after the riot, a confidential human source recorded Mr. Hale Cuccinelli saying he wished for there to be another civil war,
05:40so he could also say he would give, quote, Jewish people 24 hours to leave the country, close quote.
05:47Sickening, outrageous, but stay tuned to what I'm about to report.
05:53In September 2024, Mr. Martin, this man, I'm sorry, Mr. Martin, the nominee for U.S. Attorney,
06:01presented this man, Mr. Hale Cuccinelli, with an award at the Trump Bedminster Club in New Jersey.
06:09Mr. Martin called Mr. Hale Cuccinelli, quote, an extraordinary man, an extraordinary man he is, an extraordinary leader.
06:19After Mr. Hale Cuccinelli concluded his remarks, he hugged Mr. Martin, who then returned to the podium to say, quote,
06:26it's one of the goals of many is to make sure the world, and especially America, hears more from Tim, because he's so extraordinary.
06:34This shocking conduct necessitates sworn testimony from Mr. Martin.
06:38He needs to be brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee and asked for his relationship with this individual.
06:43How could anyone be taken seriously as a U.S. Attorney with this in his background?
06:48He deserves his day under oath to explain it.
06:52That's why the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have asked Senator Grassley to hold a special hearing for Mr. Martin to explain this and many other things that he has done.
07:03The list is long, but the list is also very troubling.
07:07Mr. Martin has regularly threatened to prosecute various government employees, members of Congress, and press outlets in an apparent attempt to chill their lawful speech.
07:16On February 3rd, 2025, Mr. Martin informed Elon Musk that we will pursue any and all legal action against anybody who impedes your work.
07:26Four days later, he followed up with Mr. Musk and stated, if people are discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically,
07:33we will investigate them and we will chase them to the end of the earth to hold them accountable.
07:39On February 24th, Mr. Martin specifically targeted the Associated Press, writing, quote, as President Trump's lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our president,
07:51and we are vigilant in standing against entities like the Associated Press that refuse to put America first.
07:57Finally, since his nomination to serve as U.S. Attorney for District of Columbia, Mr. Martin appears to have attempted to scrub much of his public commentary.
08:06For example, nearly 1,000 hours of his podcast have been removed from online platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts, interfering with the committee's ability to thoroughly examine his record.
08:20He's trying to cleanse his past so he doesn't have to explain it.
08:24But the fact is, his relationship with this man, presenting him a warrant at the President's personal club in New Jersey and heaping praise on him afterwards,
08:33is a clear indication to me that he should never be seriously considered for this job of U.S. Attorney.
08:39But let him come before us. Under oath, let him explain it.
08:42Let him try to tell us why this man is such an extraordinary leader, an extraordinary person,
08:48and why this brand of anti-Semitism which he peddles should be tolerated by anyone, let alone the President of the United States.
08:55Mr. President, I yield the floor.