WASHINGTON — Former U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin compared allegations of a pay-for-clemency network operating around President Trump to the “Russia hoax,” while saying the administration squandered the early momentum it had to overhaul the federal government.
Martin, 56, left his position as pardon attorney last month. In a sharp rebuke, he criticized a recent “60 Minutes” investigation into so-called pardon brokers — intermediaries who demand steep fees while claiming their connections to Trump’s political circle can help clients win pardons or commutations.
During an appearance on the “Pod Force One” podcast, Martin objected to the program’s focus on people profiting from clemency requests. “The season premiere of 60 Minutes has a story on pardons, and ‘Oh my gosh, there’s people making money on pardons,’” he said. “To me, this is like the Russia hoax.”
“I don’t believe what Leslie Stahl was peddling,” Martin added.
The “60 Minutes” report featured undercover footage of alleged pardon brokers Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl. In the recording, the pair claimed they could “put pressure on the president from all directions in a consistent way, to force his hand.”
Martin, however, dismissed Burkman and Wohl as “clowns” and “snake oil salesmen,” arguing that they were deceiving customers about their ability to obtain presidential clemency.
Martin, who also briefly led the administration’s Weaponization Working Group, said he met with more than 1,000 people during his 15 months in office while assessing whether pardons or commutations were justified.
He argued that Trump deserves recognition rather than criticism for bringing greater attention to the clemency process. “Donald Trump should get credit, not blame; he should get credit for changing the way we look at commutations and pardons,” Martin said, contrasting Trump with Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, whom he said issued many pardons “in the dark of night” as they left office.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Post’s Miranda Devine, Martin also said the Trump administration should have moved more aggressively to reshape the federal bureaucracy.
CONTINUE READING: Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham Recalls Surviving ‘White-Water Rafting’ With Trump
“I’m reminded, first of all, of our first two or three months, they were glorious,” Martin recalled. “We were just firing everybody, getting rid of cases. We’re pardoning everybody. The energy was up, and the fearlessness was high.”
But that intensity did not last, he said. “And after three months, everybody’s tired, and you sort of settle into a rhythm, and it changes.”
Martin said the slowdown extended beyond the Justice Department, where he worked. He also expressed disappointment that the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, did not pursue deeper cuts across the government.
Every week, Post columnist Miranda Devine sits down for exclusive and candid conversations with the most influential disruptors in Washington on ‘Pod Force One.’ Subscribe here!
“In retrospect, I think you have to use that first period of time to cut even deeper,” Martin said. “I know everybody thinks, ‘Oh, DOGE, DOGE, DOGE.’ They identified a lot, and we got rid of a lot. I’m not saying we didn’t. But that’s the window where there’s real possibilities.”
The former anti-weaponization official also discussed his review of former special counsel Jack Smith’s work and the actions of other Biden administration officials.
“I looked at Jack Smith’s inbox and this guy was a real nasty planner,” Martin said. “Donald Trump was at the center of this grand thing. It would have been a show trial.”
Martin also took aim at former President Joe Biden, claiming that even Democrats and other figures on the left had abandoned the 46th president. He called Biden “despicable.”
“At the end of his life, Joe Biden’s been sick, and there’s a lot of talk that he’s not well and all that, but I hope he hears it while he’s alive,” Martin said.
“He is one of the great frauds, and I would say that would be enough to be one of the great frauds in American history, but he’s truly one of the evil frauds of American history,” Martin continued. “Did real evil, allowed real evil, and just a fraudulent guy.”