Ed Martin pretending Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2020.Alex Brandon/AP

Ed Martin, the far-right activist–turned–acting US attorney for DC, apologized this week for praising an alleged Nazi sympathizer at an event last year.

But Martin’s ties to Timothy Hale-Cusanelli—who is known for wearing a Hitler-style mustache and who once allegedly told a co-worker that the Nazis “should have finished the job”—are far more extensive than just that one meeting.

Martin told the Forward this week that he was “sorry” for bestowing an award on Hale-Cusanelli during an August 2024 event at Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

“I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I’ve now seen it,” Martin said. “At the time, I didn’t know it.”

Martin was not specific in the portions of interview quoted by the Forward, but he seemed to suggest that he previously had known only of a photo in which Hale-Cusanelli wore a Hitler-style mustache, not “the full scope of his repulsive behavior.” Martin reportedly said he now understands Hale-Cusanelli’s behavior was “clearly far more serious than a singular act that, by itself, might look like a mistake.” Martin’s office did not respond to requests for comment from Mother Jones.

Martin’s tenure as acting US attorney is set to expire May 20. His apology appears aimed at softening opposition from lawmakers in both parties as he seeks Senate confirmation to hold the post permanently. It is a notable exception to his general refusal to respond to the overwhelmingly negative press generated

© Mother Jones