Ranking Member Raskin Demands Ed Martin Preserve and Produce Records Amid Allegations of Illegal Cover-Up of Weaponization Working Group Activities

Washington, D.C. (November 17, 2025)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, is demanding that Ed Martin, director of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Weaponization Working Group, preserve and produce records following credible allegations that Martin has violated federal law by concealing and destroying official communications related to the group’s politically-motivated probes. 

“The Weaponization Working Group you lead operates without any transparency or accountability. We do not know how many personnel are assigned to the Weaponization Working Group, what investigations it is conducting, or anything about its budget. That dark wall of secrecy is profoundly troubling given that the Weaponization Working Group is apparently being used to pursue politically motivated investigations of President Trump’s perceived enemies. […] Now, you are apparently compounding this already unacceptable weaponization and lack of transparency by seeing to it that even the most basic records of your activities will never see the light of day. My staff have received credible allegations that you have been using personal devices, platforms, and applications that do not adhere to federal laws and DOJ policies regarding records retention to conduct official DOJ business. This deliberate evasion of relevant rules of record retention appears to be part of an effort to conceal the Weaponization Working Group’s activities and your own conduct,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

According to credible allegations received by Judiciary Committee Democrats, Martin has used personal devices and encrypted messaging platforms—including disappearing messages—to conduct official DOJ business, an apparent attempt to evade the command of federal records laws and evade accountability.

This cover-up comes as Martin has facilitated politically-motivated investigations of Trump enemies, including the Administration’s effort to bring baseless charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, the sham prosecution of James Comey and criminal investigations into prominent Democrats. Martin also apparently communicated with January 6th defendants while serving as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the office responsible for bringing them to justice, and even hired one of the January 6 convicts to advise him at the Justice Department. 

Ranking Member Raskin warns that any such conduct violates not only the Federal Records Act and DOJ policy, but potentially also relevant criminal statutes. The Federal Records Act requires all federal agencies and their employees to “make and preserve records containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the agency.” DOJ’s own policies reinforce these requirements.

“Instead of preserving those records, however, you are reportedly concealing and potentially destroying them. As you are well aware, as one of America’s top-ranking federal lawyers charged with supervising enforcement of these laws, you are obligated to follow the law yourself and preserve messages related to your DOJ work in the official DOJ systems. Your purported failure to do so is not only illegal but it also suggests that you are knowingly covering up incriminating conversations that you need to keep off the books,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

Ranking Member Raskin is demanding that Martin preserve and produce documents, communications, and information related to the Weaponization Working Group, his other official DOJ duties, and communications regarding DOJ investigations or policy. The letter also directs Martin to provide a complete inventory of all personal devices, email accounts, messaging applications, and social media accounts used for any official DOJ business, and to certify that all such records have been preserved and forwarded to official DOJ systems.

“You must immediately suspend any auto-delete functions, retain custody of all personal devices used for official business, and notify all persons with custody of potentially relevant records of this preservation obligation. Failure to comply may result in civil and criminal penalties, including charges for obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence,” concluded Ranking Member Raskin.

Click here to read the letter.