Justice Department review found Trump ally Ed Martin improperly leaked grand jury material in probe of president’s foes

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Paula Reid, CNN

(CNN) — A Justice Department review found that Ed Martin improperly handled grand jury materials that were part of an investigation targeting Donald Trump’s political enemies, at least two sources familiar with the review told CNN. It was at least part of the reason Martin was pushed out of DOJ headquarters early this year.

The review, which was overseen by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, focused on whether grand jury material gathered in the department’s mortgage fraud inquiries into Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James had been illegally shared with people not authorized to possess that information, multiple people briefed on the matter told CNN.

The department found that Martin had shared the secret grand jury material in the Schiff case, one of the sources said. The person said Martin initially denied sharing the material with unauthorized people when asked by department leaders, but emails soon surfaced showing that Martin had in fact shared the grand jury material.

A second person told CNN a finding of misconduct gave the deputy attorney general a reason to further ostracize Martin. Martin was removed as the head of the so-called Weaponization Working Group on the first day of 2026 and he was relocated out of department headquarters to a building across town that houses the pardon attorney — Martin’s one remaining role.

“President Trump ordered Ed Martin to fight weaponization wherever it’s found,” a person close to Martin said. “As a member of the Deputy Attorney General’s staff, Ed handled hundreds of cases and matters directed by the DAG. Ed, his co-chair Colin McDonald, and the members of the Weaponization Working Group followed DOJ standards and procedures at all times.”

Martin is expected to leave the department in coming weeks.

He has not been charged with a crime, and the Justice Department hasn’t determined whether any law was broken.

In a statement to CNN, Blanche said, “there are no misconduct investigations into Ed Martin. Ed is doing a great job as Pardon Attorney.”

The statement did not address whether there was ever a review of Martin’s handling of grand jury material.

Martin has been a main figurehead in the president’s campaign to investigate or prosecute his political foes, including the investigation into Schiff and the prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and James. A judge dismissed the Comey and James prosecutions in November, finding that the prosecutor who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.

In January 2025, Trump appointed Martin as the interim US attorney for Washington, DC. He immediately started working on Trump’s agenda, including demoting and pushing out senior prosecutors who worked on cases related to January 6 and vowing to protect employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He ultimately failed to receive enough support from the Senate, and Trump pulled his nomination for the position in May 2025.

The review of Martin’s handling of materials burst into public view in December after a witness who received a subpoena showed up at the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, seeking to testify.

The witness, a Republican woman from California named Christine Bish, told CNN that investigators asked her about two people who claimed to be working on fraud cases alongside Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. The Justice Department was investigating whether those two people were impersonating federal agents.

Days later, a social media user highlighted that ongoing probe and referenced Pulte and Martin being under investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded by seemingly trying to correct the record, without elaborating. “There is no investigation into Bill Pulte” she wrote on X.

Martin’s removal from the head of the Weaponization Working Group has not hindered its work, a person familiar with the matter, and CNN reported that the group has ramped up its efforts to review law enforcement actions taken under the Biden administration for any examples of what Bondi has called “politicized justice.”

The group plans to release some of their findings soon, the person said.

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