Top DC Prosecutor Calls to Protect DOGE Workers, Judges (2)

The top prosecutor for the US attorney’s office in Washington plans to crack down on those who threaten federal judges and workers with Elon Musk’s government efficiency unit.

In an officewide email on Wednesday obtained by Bloomberg Law, interim US Attorney Ed Martin previewed his plan to “hold accountable those who threaten workers.” He dubbed the initiative “Operation Whirlwind,” an apparent reference to remarks by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in 2020 against conservative Supreme Court justices.

According to his email, Martin learned about threats against workers with the Department of Government Efficiency, the unit tasked with slashing federal spending, from a DOGE staffer who called him Tuesday.

“It is despicable that these men and women are being threatened,” Martin wrote.

Martin also pointed to other recent threats to public officials. He said a Massachusetts woman drove to Washington last month with “incendiary weapons” to attack Pete Hegseth, now the defense secretary, and that the US attorney’s office has been “flooded with threats against those who helped free the January 6th prisoners.” President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people convicted or charged with conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

One of the “most abhorrent examples,” according to Martin, was when Schumer said at a rally that Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have “released the whirlwind” and “will pay the price,” while they heard arguments in case over a Louisiana law adding requirements for abortion clinic doctors.

Martin said he reached out to Schumer to “investigate his threats,” but the senator hasn’t responded.

Schumer’s chief of staff, Michael Lynch, did respond to Martin in a letter dated Feb. 6, according to a spokesperson for the Senate minority leader. Lynch pointed to Schumer’s remarks on the floor, the day after the rally, saying he shouldn’t have used those words. These remarks confirm his comments “were not a threat to physically harm any person,” Lynch wrote.

Martin asked his office to send him any threats they receive, and said he is meeting with a threat portal team “to talk about what more we can do.”

“We are the DC US Attorney’s office; we are the guardians of federal workers,” Martin wrote. “You and I must do whatever possible to assure government work is safe for all involved. We must protect our cops, our prosecutors, our DOGE workers, the President, and all other government employees from threats against our nation.”

His message comes as the Trump administration conducts mass layoffs of federal workers across government agencies, as part of the DOGE-led cost-cutting effort.

Musk and other conservative figures have also promoted tweets verbally attacking the federal judges hearing legal challenges to Trump’s actions. Some posts have included information about judges’ family members.

Trump announced plans earlier this week to nominate Martin, a former advocate for Jan. 6 defendants, to permanently lead the US attorney’s office in Washington. On Monday, Musk tagged Martin on the social media platform X in connection with a video purporting to show anti-Trump protesters holding up a sign referencing the killing of a healthcare executive last year.

“Advocating murder of the President is a serious crime,” Musk wrote.

“Duly noted,” Martin replied on X.

“Threats against public officials at all levels—whether it be the president or a line federal worker—must stop,” Martin wrote. “We are on the case.”