Padilla Joins Senate Judiciary Democrats in Filing Misconduct Complaints Against Senior Trump Administration DOJ Attorneys
Senators request disciplinary investigations into Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove with NY State Bar and Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin with D.C. Bar for misconduct and abuse of power
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senate Judiciary Democrats in filing professional misconduct complaints against senior Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys. The Senators’ complaints target Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, filed with the New York State Bar, and Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin, filed with the D.C. Bar.
Emil Bove
The Senators’ complaint filed with the New York State Bar against Deputy Attorney General Bove cites reported misconduct in moving to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The Senators expressed grave concern over Bove’s actions and requested a disciplinary investigation.
They argued that Bove abused his position by coercing an elected state municipal officer to implement policies benefitting President Trump politically. When Bove issued an unethical directive, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and at least five career prosecutors in DOJ’s Criminal Division resigned in protest. The complaint outlines conduct that appears to violate at least four categories of prohibited misconduct under New York’s legal ethics rules.
“Mr. Bove’s conduct not only speaks to his fitness as a lawyer; his activities are part of a broader course of conduct by President Trump and his allies to undermine the traditional independence of Department of Justice’s investigations and prosecutions and the rule of law,” wrote the Senators. “When a government lawyer, particularly one entrusted with a leadership role in the nation’s foremost law enforcement agency, commits serious violations of professional conduct, such actions undermine the integrity of our justice system and erode public confidence in it. Public confidence is further eroded when such serious misconduct is met with no consequences.”
Full text of the letter is available here.
Ed Martin
The Senators’ complaint filed with the District of Columbia Bar against Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin alleges multiple abuses of power, including moving to dismiss charges against a former client involved in the January 6 Insurrection and using multiple threats of prosecution to intimidate government employees and suppress private citizens’ speech. It further raises concerns about Martin’s failure to recuse himself from cases involving former clients linked to the January 6 insurrection, citing serious lapses in judgment and potential ethical violations.
The complaint also cites Martin’s inappropriate communications with other January 6 defendants and efforts to dismiss charges against defendants he was still representing.
“Since his appointment as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia on January 20, 2025, Mr. Martin has abused his position in several ways, including dismissing charges against his own client and using the threat of prosecution to intimidate government employees and chill the speech of private citizens,” wrote the Senators. “Due to the serious nature of this misconduct, we request that the Office of Disciplinary Counsel open an investigation to determine whether Mr. Martin, who is a member of the D.C. Bar, violated applicable D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct and should be subject to disciplinary action.”
Full text of the letter is available here.
Both letters were led by Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and signed by Senator Padilla, along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
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