Justice Dept. Sidelines Ed Martin as Chief of Weaponization Group [View all]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/us/politics/justice-dept-ed-martin-weaponization-group.html

https://archive.ph/EjFI0

Justice Dept. Sidelines Ed Martin as Chief of Weaponization Group
The move represents a consolidation of the authority of the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, in bringing Mr. Martin’s operation inside his office.
By Glenn Thrush and Alan Feuer
Feb. 2, 2026, 6:12 p.m. ET

Todd Blanche, the Justice Department’s increasingly powerful No. 2 official, has sharply reduced the role given to Ed Martin, the lawyer from Missouri tapped to run a task force to investigate President Trump’s enemies, officials familiar with the situation said.

Mr. Martin, known by the self-bestowed moniker “Eagle Ed,” will retain his title as the department’s pardon attorney, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. But he has been marginalized in his other role as the chief of the so-called weaponization working group, the officials added, because senior department officials saw him as ineffective in pursuing cases Mr. Trump has demanded to be acted upon immediately.

It is not clear if Mr. Martin will remain at the department. He has told people in his orbit that he is considering leaving, possibly for an as-yet-undetermined position in the White House.

People close to Mr. Martin said they believed that Mr. Blanche’s move to marginalize him was intended to prompt his resignation.

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Todd Blanche will push Bondi out the door and become the next Attorney General