On Monday, President Donald Trump‘s interim federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, announced a new initiative to investigate election fraud, according to an internal email obtained by Reuters. However, it remains unclear how much authority Martin’s office will have to carry out such investigations.
Martin, who has previously echoed Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election, informed his staff that he was establishing a new office called the Special Unit Election Accountability. He also invited volunteers to join the unit.
In the email, Martin wrote, “Americans do not have confidence in our election systems. One of the best ways to restore that confidence is to protect our systems and demand accountability.” He noted that the new office had already opened its first investigation, though he did not provide further details.
However, Martin did not clarify whether his office would have jurisdiction to pursue election fraud cases beyond the District of Columbia. He also did not mention whether he had consulted with the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, which is typically required to be involved before federal prosecutors can open election fraud cases.
A spokesperson for Martin’s office declined to comment when approached for further details.
The announcement comes amid turmoil in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, which has seen a wave of resignations following pressure from top department official Emil Bove to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The remaining attorneys were informed last week that more staff cuts might be forthcoming, although no final decisions have been made.
Election fraud in the U.S. is extremely rare, according to numerous studies. Despite this, Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread fraud in the 2020 election fueled the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where thousands of his supporters attempted to overturn the election results.
Before joining the Justice Department, Martin had publicly supported participants in the January 6 attack and admitted to being present on Capitol grounds during the event.
As Washington’s interim top federal prosecutor, Martin has threatened to investigate members of Congress and has announced criminal cases through social media. He also ousted the office’s previous top criminal prosecutor after she refused to open an investigation and freeze the assets of a grant awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Recently, Trump nominated Martin for permanent appointment as U.S. attorney, but it remains uncertain whether he will receive sufficient support from the Republican-controlled Senate.
This article was produced by Reuters news agency and has not been edited by Global South World.
WRITTEN BY MR KENDRICK
