Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (April 23, 2025)— Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel demanding he open an investigation into Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin’s failure to disclose to the Senate Judiciary Committee more than 150 appearances on Russian state-controlled television, as required. Ranking Member Raskin also sent a separate letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin urging them to place a hold on Mr. Martin’s nomination until the investigation is complete.

“Recent reporting reveals that Ed Martin, whom the President has nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, failed to disclose more than 150 appearances over an 8-year period on Russian state-controlled propaganda and disinformation outlets in his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire. In light of these alarming revelations, I write to request that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate whether Mr. Martin’s omissions were inadvertent or part of a deliberate attempt to conceal his extensive ties to Russian media and intelligence operations,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

Recent reporting by the Washington Post reveals that Mr. Martin appeared on RT (formerly “Russia Today”) and Sputnik—networks funded and directed by the Russian government under Vladimir Putin—as a guest commentator more than 150 times between August 2016 to April 2024. As his nomination is under consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Martin categorically failed to disclose these appearances on his Senate nomination questionnaire, which requires the disclosure of all media appearances.

RT and Sputnik have been “critical elements” in Moscow’s propaganda and disinformation efforts. Since 2017 and 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) “has required RT and Sputnik to register as foreign agents, reflecting Russian government control over their operations.” An investigation conducted by the Republican-controlled Senate Select Committee on Intelligence revealed that RT and Sputnik played a key role in Russia’s efforts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election.

As Mr. Martin appeared on Russian state TV, he espoused strikingly pro-Kremlin views. For example, just sixteen days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Martin suggested Vladimir Putin might be a “hero.” RT and Sputnik apparently capitalized on these sentiments and reportedly“relied on Martin to explain America in terms that seemed to match the perspective of the Kremlin, mostly to its international audiences.”

“The Congress of the United States and the American people deserve a full picture of Mr. Martin, his relationships to Russia and his political loyalties. […]These new revelations […] raise significant national security concerns given the significant role of the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in prosecuting many of the country’s most serious national security and espionage cases. I therefore urge you to conduct an expeditious and thorough inquiry and to share your findings with the relevant Committees of the United States Congress,” concluded Ranking Member Raskin.

Click here to read the letter to Kash Patel.

Click here to read the letter to Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Durbin.