“Weaponization Czar” Ed Martin Threatens U.S. Security
Ed Martin, Trump's so-called "Weaponization Czar" has a long history with foreign disinformation and anti-democratic networks.
After a failing to secure confirmation as U.S. Attorney, Missouri politician Ed Martin has been appointed as “weaponization czar” by President Trump and within the Department of Justice, serving under Attorney General Pam Bondi. He has threatened to persecute anyone involved in holding President Trump accountable to the rule of law and suggested there will be ‘no limit to the targets.’
Well before his name became known as a potential US Attorney candidate, Martin was deeply embedded in foreign influence networks. As historian Timothy Snyder and media analyst Julia Davis have each reported recently, Martin has an extremely long history with Russian media channels, appearing on RT and Sputnik dozens of times. That alone is disqualifying for any role in government, but many others in the Trump-o-sphere also share this dubious distinction, including current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Less widely reported is the fact that Martin is also directly responsible for convening networks of U.S. and European far-right influencers in his role as head of the Schlafly Eagles, a network of ultra-conservative activists that became particularly virulent and unhinged after the death of the group's founder, Phyllis Schlafly, in September 2016. Schlafly, a staunch advocate for traditional roles for women, was perhaps best known for her fierce opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment in the late 1970's and early 1980's.
By 2018, Martin's Eagle Forum became a platform for networking far right agitators, many associated with the Council for National Policy, the group that planned and executed the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The gathering also included figures tied to European extremist networks, including Dominik Tarczynski of the Polish PiS party, as well as Petr Bystron of the German far-right party, Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD). AfD was recently declared a national security threat by the German government and a “confirmed rightwing extremist” organization.
Also at that event, Martin awarded Maj. Gen. Michael T. Flynn the group's “Jack Singlaub Award,” named in honor of Maj. Gen. John K. Singlaub, a CIA-linked figure in the Iran-Contra scandal.
In 2019, the gathering included even more characters who would go on to become involved in the events of January 6th, including Scott Presler, Ali Alexander, Brandon Straka (#WalkAway), Jack Posobiec, Logan Cook (Carpe Donktum), and Tony “Spooky” Shaffer. Steve Bannon, who would later go on to say on January 5th, “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow,” also spoke at the Schlafly Eagle Forum in 2019.
Jack Singlaub and America's Future
In January 2020, Singlaub wrote a letter to then Attorney General William Barr requesting that he “free Mike Flynn” and drop charges against him. Flynn had been charged with lying to the FBI in relation to questioning about his contacts with Russia during his tenure as Donald Trump's National Security Adviser in 2017.
By 2021, Flynn and Martin also gained control America's Future, a related non-profit group founded by Singlaub. Flynn's sister, Mary Flynn O'Neill, now serves as the group's executive director. In addition to Flynn, current board members include discredited former journalist Lara Logan and Flynn loyalist and Trump's so-called "secretary of retribution" Ivan Raiklin. Tracy “Beanz” Diaz, a major promoter of QAnon conspiracy information warfare channels, served as a board member in 2022.
In an unusual reversal, Singlaub publicized an open letter in May 2021 stating that he was unhappy with the group's direction and leadership. In his letter, clearly directed at Martin and Flynn, he wrote, “It is with regret that we no longer have any active role with the America's Future foundation and I implore the new leadership to follow the principles Phyllis Schlafly and I maintained to defend and preserve the unalienable rights of all persons.” Singlaub died months later, aged 100, in January 2022. Flynn delivered a message, via video, at his memorial service.
A National Security Emergency
Ed Martin is lying. At no time has anyone tried to “weaponize” the government. Countless journalists, lawyers, intelligence professionals, government employees, prosecutors, and citizen activists have, however, attempted to honor the Constitution and maintain the rule of law. Those efforts — which are not only legal, but patriotic — span the Trump 1.0, Biden, and even the Trump 2.0 administrations.
Martin has occupied a central position in a network of people fixated on eroding and harming democratic processes, with clear foreign influence. Even his own mentor and alleged hero, Gen. Jack Singlaub, made a public effort to disown him. He and his network are dangerous to democracy.
Anyone targeted by Martin is likely someone who has also worked to block Russia's efforts to subvert American democracy. Any bad-faith persecution of loyal Americans should be seen as illegitimate foreign influence. Martin should have been thoroughly investigated during the Biden administration and, if applicable, charged under the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
The fact that this was, apparently, not done speaks to either capture, fecklessness, or incompetence. Regardless, the fact remains: a fox is now not only guarding the hen-house, but has a target list. Watch him — like a hawk. ■
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