Ed Martin, President Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, is trying to distance himself from a convicted Jan. 6 Capitol rioter known for his racist and antisemitic rhetoric. Federal prosecutors have described the man, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, as a "Nazi sympathizer."
But NPR's reporting — including a direct email exchange with Martin and a review of a series of podcast interviews he conducted — casts doubt on the accuracy of Martin's sworn testimony to the U.S. Senate. In written answers to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Martin now claims he was unaware of Hale-Cusanelli's past comments until at least August 2024.
"I am not close with him," Martin told the Senate. "The statements that individual made are abhorrent, deplorable and unacceptable in any context."
However, in an email in September 2024, NPR wrote to Martin and made him aware of a laundry list of Hale-Cusanelli's prior antisemitic and racist statements. In subsequent weeks and months, Martin continued to praise Hale-Cusanelli as an "amazing guy" and "great friend," and they appeared at multiple events together.
Martin and his office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.
A timeline of Martin's evolving statements
- June 2022: Ed Martin interviews Timothy Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast and says he followed "so many of the details" from Hale-Cusanelli's trial.
- July 2024: Martin interviews Hale-Cusanelli and the two discuss the photos of Hale-Cusanelli with a "Hitler mustache" and allegations of antisemitism.
- August 2024: Martin gives Hale-Cusanelli an award at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, referring to him as an "extraordinary man" and "extraordinary leader."
- Sept. 11, 2024: NPR emails Martin about the award and cites a litany of antisemitic and racist comments previously made by Hale-Cusanelli. Martin responds and calls NPR "government-funded propaganda," but does not object to Hale-Cusanelli's antisemitic comments.
- Sept. 24, 2024: Martin posts an interview with Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast and refers to him as a "great friend."
- Oct. 8, 2024: Martin again interviews Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast and refers to him as a "friend" and "amazing guy."
- Jan. 23, 2025: Hale-Cusanelli posts a photo of himself with Martin from a Trump inaugural celebration and writes, "It has been an honor to work with this great man."
- Jan. 24, 2025: Hale-Cusanelli posts another photo of himself on social media with Martin.
- March 24, 2025: Martin and Hale-Cusanelli attend an event together in Naples, Fla.
- April 7, 2025: Martin submits written answers to the Senate, in which he denounces Hale-Cusanelli's past statements, says he was unaware of the statements prior to giving Hale-Cusanelli an award and says "I am not close with him."
From "great friend" to "not close"
Martin, a longtime conservative activist, currently serves as the interim U.S. attorney and is facing a tough confirmation fight in the Senate.
As NPR previously reported, Martin awarded Hale-Cusanelli the "Eagle Award" at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, N.J. in Aug. 2024, praising him as an "extraordinary man" and "extraordinary leader." In podcast interviews, Martin has also called Hale-Cusanelli a "friend."
In his testimony to the Senate Martin said that when he gave Hale-Cusanelli that award, he was not aware of his prior comments.
But on a podcast in July 2024 — about a month prior to giving him the award — Hale-Cusanelli and Martin discussed photos presented by prosecutors, in which Hale-Cusanelli had a "Hitler mustache."
"You had the mustache shaved in such a way that you looked vaguely like Hitler and making jokes about it," Martin said. "Not your best moment, but not illegal."
Hale-Cusanelli has described the photos as "satirical" and said federal prosecutors included them in court filings to "smear" him.
Hale-Cusanelli's case drew outsized attention among the more than 1,500 Capitol riot prosecutions, due to "Hitler mustache" photos, as well as extensive evidence of virulent racist and antisemitic comments. In one lengthy video rant he posted online, he compared orthodox Jews to a "plague of locusts" and blamed Jews for spreading COVID-19.
At his Capitol riot sentencing in 2022, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, said Hale-Cusanelli's conduct makes Jewish people "less safe and less confident they can participate as equal members of our society."
Jewish civil rights organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, denounced Martin's decision to honor Hale-Cusanelli at a Trump property.
After his nomination to the role of U.S. attorney, Senate Democrats flagged Martin's relationship to Hale-Cusanelli and vowed to block Martin's confirmation.
"He is disqualified, and I'm going to do everything to stop his confirmation," said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in a statement.
Only after those questions mounted did Martin denounce Hale-Cusanelli.
"I was not aware of his comments and views until after he received an Eagle Award," Martin wrote. "I condemn his comments and views in the strongest terms possible."
Separately, Martin gave an interview last month to the Forward, a Jewish news outlet, in which he apologized and claimed ignorance about Hale-Cusanelli's past conduct.
"I certainly didn't know all the terrible things that he said and how he had acted. I think that's terrible, and I denounced it completely," Martin said, according to the Forward. "I hate it. I hate that it happened."
But Martin's statements contrast with his earlier response to NPR in Sept. 2024, when asked about his repeated public appearances with Hale-Cusanelli.
In that email, NPR provided explicit examples of Hale-Cusanelli's antisemitic comments and linked to evidence presented at his trial.
"We plan to excerpt this video [Hale-Cusanelli] posted, where he attacked Orthodox Jews in New Jersey as 'unhygienic,' 'backward,' and a cause of COVID-19, comparing them to a 'plague of locusts' and attacking what he called the 'Hasidic Jewish invasion' of New Jersey," NPR wrote. The email included a link to the video posted by Hale-Cusanelli.
"Other evidence from court records indicates that he went to work with a 'Hitler mustache,' told coworkers 'Hitler should have finished the job' and 'babies born with any deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead,'" the email went on, and provided additional links to text messages presented at Hale-Cusanelli's trial, where he used antisemitic and racist slurs.
Finally, NPR asked Martin, "Could you address your praise of Hale-Cusanelli in light of his antisemitic remarks?"
Several hours later, Martin responded.
"NPR, the government-funded propaganda outlet that has lied at every turn about what happened on J6 is at it again," Martin wrote.
In his response, Martin did not denounce or object to Hale-Cusanelli's rhetoric.
In the months that followed, and as revealed in a review of podcast interviews, Martin continued to publicly associate with Hale-Cusanelli. Martin also did not appear to show any discomfort with Hale-Cusanelli's views in subsequent social media posts, just weeks and months after NPR first reported about the events at Trump Bedminster.
On Sept. 24, 2024, Martin posted a podcast interview he conducted with Hale-Cusanelli, where Martin described him as a "great friend."
"You're a reader, a writer and a thinker," Martin told Hale-Cusanelli during the interview.
On Oct. 8, 2024, Martin interviewed Hale-Cusanelli again.
"Our next guest is my friend Timothy Hale," Martin said, describing him as an "amazing guy."
And yet, in written testimony last month, Martin stated, "I am not close with him," and added, "I am aware of his name and some details involving his case, and I otherwise do not have close, consistent interactions with him."
However, in January 2025, Hale-Cusanelli posted multiple photos of himself with Martin on social media, in which the two appear to have a friendly relationship. In one photo, from Trump's inaugural festivities, the two men are giving thumbs up to the camera.
In March, they both attended an event in Florida, where Martin compared the treatment of Jan. 6 riot defendants to Japanese internment during World War II, according to Mother Jones.
Hale-Cusanelli has denied that he is a "Nazi sympathizer," describing his past antisemitic and racist comments as trolling meant to provoke, and said he has Jewish and Puerto Rican ancestry.
What makes Martin's sudden claims of ignorance about Hale-Cusanelli's past comments particularly striking is his long-standing involvement in efforts to support Jan. 6 defendants — and the fact that Martin has been closely following his case for years.
In 2022, Martin joined the board of the Patriot Freedom Project, a nonprofit founded by Cynthia Hughes, Hale-Cusanelli's self-described "adoptive aunt," which was created in response to his arrest to support Jan. 6 defendants and their families.
Martin first interviewed Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast in June 2022, where Hale-Cusanelli spoke by phone from jail.
"This was an incredible trial," Martin said. "I followed from Cynthia so many of the details."
Martin's financial disclosure report shows he received a $30,000 "board stipend" from the group.
In a statement, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that he was unsatisfied with Martin's testimony about Hale-Cusanelli and a number of other issues.
"Mr. Martin makes a number of false statements that are easily debunked and dodges at least 80 questions outright," Durbin said.
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