After vowing to guard DOGE staff, Trump prosecutor is silent on workers focused by ‘DEI watch record’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s interim U.S. legal professional for the District of Columbia reached out to Elon Musk on the tech billionaire’s X platform this week, telling him federal prosecutors have been at his service ought to staff at his Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) face any threats.
“Expensive @elon, Please see this vital letter,” Ed Martin wrote Monday. “We won’t tolerate threats towards DOGE staff or law-breaking by the disgruntled.”
Within the hooked up letter, Martin wrote that it was “good to work with the DOGE group” over the weekend, and he requested Musk to “make the most of me and my workers to help in defending the DOGE work and the DOGE staff.”
The supply by a high Justice Division official to guard a particular group of presidency workers — political appointees who, together with Musk, have thrown federal businesses into turmoil — was notable, partly due to his silence as one other group of federal staff can be being focused.
Martin has to this point indicated no plans to analyze a conservative analysis opposition group that seems to be behind the web site “DEI Watch Record,” which has revealed the names and images of federal well being staff concerned in range, fairness and inclusion initiatives — at one level describing them as “targets.”
Martin declined to touch upon the “DEI watch record” by way of the U.S. legal professional’s workplace.
Contained in the Justice Division, the general public letter to Musk sparked what one official described as “second-hand embarrassment” over what they noticed as an excessively fawning public message that was inappropriate for somebody within the function of appearing U.S. legal professional.
“The creation of this so-called ‘DEI watch record’ — a public database concentrating on Black people and others concerned in DEI efforts — is nothing wanting reprehensible,” one former federal prosecutor who labored Jan. 6 instances wrote to NBC Information. “It is a blatant try and intimidate, silence, and endanger our federal well being care staff. The creation of this record just isn’t solely morally indefensible however poses severe threats to the security of those well being care staff.”
The particular person mentioned that Martin ought to take “immediate motion to pursue any and all authorized motion towards those that have made threats towards these individuals,” and echoed the language of his DOGE letter.
“As Mr. Martin is conscious, any threats, confrontations, or different actions in any approach that affect these workers’ work could break quite a few legal guidelines,” they mentioned.
A word on the backside of the web site “DEI Watch Record” says it’s a challenge of the American Accountability Basis. The web site terrified federal well being staff Tuesday because it started to flow into amongst personal group chats in addition to on social media. It lists principally Black workers who work in businesses primarily inside the Division of Well being and Human Companies.
HHS homes a number of businesses together with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the Meals and Drug Administration, and the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.
The positioning revealed staff’ names and images. It additionally described what it referred to as “DEI offenses,” together with political donations, screenshots of social media posts or being a part of DEI initiatives.
A authorities employee whose title was on the record mentioned they have been involved about their security.
“I don’t know what the intention of the record is for,” the particular person mentioned. “It’s simply form of a scary place to be.”
The American Accountability Basis didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark.
The conservative group relies in Washington, D.C., in keeping with the group’s X account. It’s unclear whether or not the group could be topic to Virginia’s and Maryland’s racial intimidation legal guidelines, the place many federal well being staff stay and work. Based on Maryland’s legal professional normal’s workplace, discrimination within the office, in addition to cyberbullying and intimidation on-line, is prohibited by state regulation.
In December, the group despatched an inventory of names to Pete Hegseth, then Trump’s nominee for protection secretary, of individuals within the army whom it deemed too centered on DEI, in keeping with the New York Put up.
In the meantime, contained in the Justice Division, workers are anxious about what strikes Martin could take subsequent and questioning if he plans to pursue federal prosecutors who labored on Jan. 6 instances.
A Justice Division official mentioned they believed that Martin was too “busy searching down enemies of the president” to have a look at whether or not the DEI concentrating on record might pose a risk.
Martin’s arrival on the Justice Division has been exasperating for a lot of inside federal regulation enforcement due to his involvement in pushing the baseless declare that Trump gained the 2020 election.
Martin was a “cease the steal” organizer who gave a speech on the Capitol on Jan. 5, 2021, calling on “die-hard true People” to battle till their “final breath” to “cease the steal,” after which labored as an advocate for Jan. 6 defendants whereas spreading conspiracy theories concerning the Capitol assault itself.
