Senate Judiciary Democrats press for public hearing on Ed Martin, chairman cites committee practice

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats urged the chairman to hold a public, sworn hearing for Ed Martin, the President’s nominee to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, citing Martin’s public statements about January 6 defendants, his praise for a January 6 offender, and other actions they said warrant fuller public scrutiny. Chairman Chuck Grassley responded that committee practice over recent decades has generally not included public hearings for U.S. Attorney nominees and that the committee will pursue written questions and disclosures instead.

Why it matters: The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia prosecutes some of the nation’s most significant federal matters in the capital. Democrats on the committee argued that Martin’s record — as described in public reporting and the committee record — raises questions about his fitness…