Acting Washington, D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin is escalating his psuedo-investigations of what he describes as purported threats to billionaire Elon Musk, the staff of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and other federal workers by now demanding information from a House Democrat.
Martin has already targeted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as part of his supposed investigations into threats against public officials. The effort appears designed to smother freedom of speech and criticism of Musk and the Trump administration.
In a “letter of inquiry” sent to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Martin requested that Garcia “clarify” statements he made regarding Musk during a CNN interview last week. Martin, the acting USA in D.C. whom Trump has nominated to hold the position permanently, is a Trump loyalist and Jan. 6 activist who represented some of the insurrectionist defendants in court.
“What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight,” Garcia said, referring to Democrats pushing back against Musk and DOGE freezing federal funds and purging the federal workforce, following a House subcommittee hearing on the issue. “This is an actual fight for democracy.”
In his letter of inquiry, Martin said the comment “sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk … and government staff who work for him.”
“Their concerns have led to this inquiry,” he added. “We take threats against public officials very seriously. I look forward to your cooperation.”
The D.C. U.S. District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Garcia told the Washington Post his office did not receive the letter, but he said he would not let it deter him from speaking out.
“We will not be silenced,” Garcia said in a written statement to the Post, adding: “No reasonable person would view these comments as a threat, and it’s interesting that the letter was sent to The Washington Post, yet we have not received it. We are living in a dangerous time, and elected members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration.”
Garcia’s office did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.
The letter of inquiry comes amid a Wednesday all staff email Martin sent out, announcing “Operation Whirlwind” — a new initiative, he claims, will hold those who threaten federal workers accountable. So far, he has only targeted congressional Democrats who have publicly criticized the Supreme Court or the Trump administration.
“We are the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office; we are the guardians of federal workers,” Martin wrote in the email. “You and I must do whatever possible to assure government work is safe for all involved. We must protect our cops, our prosecutors, our DOGE employees, the President, and all other government employees.”
“Free speech has limits and threatening government workers crosses the line,” he added.
In the email, Martin also confirmed reports that he was also probing his own personal interpretation of remarks Schumer made criticizing Supreme Court Justices during an abortion rights rally. He has described the remarks as threatening in his communications with Schumer’s office.
Martin is referring to a March 2020 rally in which Schumer gave remarks as the Court heard arguments in a major Louisiana based abortion case. Schumer, seemingly addressing two conservative justices — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — said that they had “released the whirlwind” and would “pay the price.”
Martin, in his email, claimed Schumer had not yet responded to his inquiry.
A spokesman for Schumer told the New York Times that their office received a letter from Martin at the beginning of the month, asking about the remarks. Within days, Schumer’s chief of staff responded with his own letter, writing that the senator’s comments were “not a threat to physically harm any person.”
