Exclusive: Trump’s one-time weaponization chief is expected to depart Justice Department in coming weeks

(This should be titled: ==Repeat of Russiagate but it’s now titled: DC’s DOJ Leadership Gate!)

Story by Paula Reid, Casey Gannon, CNN •

Ed Martin, who has been working inside the Trump Justice Department for over nine months after failing to secure a confirmation as US Attorney in Washington, DC, is expected to leave the department in the coming weeks, according to a source familiar with his plans.

Martin had been previously described as President Donald “Trump’s favorite US Attorney,”but sourcessay his imminent departure is the resultof moves made by another one of Trump’s favorite Justice officials —Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“President Trump appointed Ed Martin as Pardon Attorney and Ed continues to a great job in that role,” a Justice Department spokesperson told CNN Monday.

Martin, a Missouri Republican, burnished his MAGA credentials following the 2021 US Capitol attack, becoming a vocal defender of Trump’s voter fraud claims in the 2020 election and of January 6 rioters — some of whom he represented as an attorney.

Trump appointed Martin to serve at the interim US attorney for Washington, DC, shortly after taking office in January 2025. Martin immediately started working on Trump’s agenda, including demoting senior prosecutors who worked on cases related to January 6 and vowing to protect employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

He ultimately failed to receive enough support from the Senate and Trump pulled his nomination for the position in May 2025.

Trump then put Martin in serval new positions within the Justice Department, including the director of the Working Weaponization Group and pardon attorney.(several means, more than two positions we knew about right!)

Martin urged for the prosecution of Trump’s political adversaries and, this summer, posed for photos outside the Brooklyn home of New York Attorney General Letitia James while he was also conducting investigations into her conduct.

Sourcesfamiliar with the situationsay thatonce Martin was installed in his office inside Justice Department headquarters in Washington, Blanche – one of Trump’s former personal lawyers – made moves to significantly limit Martin’s ability to wield power.

Even though he was tappedto the lead the Department’s Weaponization Working Group, a source tells CNN Martin was “layered” by the deputy attorney general and was not really in charge of that effort.

As deputy attorney general, Blanche is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the agency. He previously served as Trump’s personal attorney. He has taken on a more public-facing role as Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a series of missteps. Last week, Blanche led the press conference alone on the release of Epstein documents.

“The fact is that Ed was given all opportunity to lead this group and deliver on its mission, but he did nothing,” a person familiar with the efforts of the Weaponization Working Group said. “Others across the Department have since been making great progress and doing the work that should have been happening under Ed’s leadership.” (Gossip, who’d guess the DOJ employees lie?)

CNN reported Monday that the Weaponization Working Group was expected to begin meeting every day to deliver on those issues that are a priority for the president.It was unclear if Martin was even invited to that meeting.

Martin appears to have more power in his role as pardon attorney, according to sources familiar. He has been actively involved in reviewing clemency applications, but the final decision on pardons in the Trump Administration, as in other administrations, are largely made inside the White House.

Martin’s office is currently located inside the pardon office.It is unclear where Martin is headed after he departs the Justice Department, but a source familiar with his plan says he spent most of last week at the White House.

(Blanche in the beginning, tried to stifle or get rid of Martin early on, because Ed was really investigating the corruption on all levels of the DOJ, including the top brass. My guess!)

2020 Is Not Over Yet!is Code name, the DOJ will be exposed by participating and pushing the corrupt Hoax and stealing that election!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/exclusive-trump-s-one-time-weaponization-chief-is-expected-to-depart-justice-department-in-coming-weeks/ar-AA1Vw1Xm

6 Feb, 2026 16:37

Baltic state admits ‘huge mistake’ with China

Lithuania’s decision to allow Taipei to establish a diplomatic presence on its territory led to a years-long rift with Beijing

Baltic state admits ‘huge mistake’

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene has admitted that allowing a “Taiwanese representative office” to open in Vilnius was a “huge mistake.”

China downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania after the establishment of a de facto ‘Taiwanese embassy’ in 2021.Beijing regarded the decision as a gross violation of the One-China principle, an internationally recognized diplomatic framework under which Taiwan is recognized as Chinese territory.

“Lithuania really jumped in front of a train and lost,” Ruginiene said in an interview with news agency BNS on Tuesday.

Other European nations largely avoided souring relations with Beijing by coordinating with China and using the name ‘Taipei Representative Office’ rather than ‘Taiwanese’, she said.

This is probably our huge mistake as Lithuania.

Vilnius has begun taking small steps towards normalizing relations, an arduous task “after completely severing ties,” Ruginiene said. Lithuania will also need to “balance” its relationship with China against ties with the EU and the US, she added.

Relations between Vilnius and Beijing have been strained for years, with the last accredited Chinese diplomats having left the country in May last year.

China has said it is open to dialogue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in a press conference on Friday, when asked about the possibility of restoring diplomatic ties.

Last pandas in Japan leave for China as relations sour READ MORE: Last pandas in Japan leave for China as relations sour

Beijing hopes that Vilnius “will translate the willingness to improve ties with China into action, redress the mistakes as early as possible,” start “upholding the one-China principle,” and build conditions for normalizing relations, he said.

Taiwan has been de facto autonomous since 1949, when Chinese nationalist forces were routed in the civil war and retreated to the island.

Moscow officially supports the One-China principle, under which Taiwan is sovereign Chinese territory, having signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation with Beijing in 2001.

https://www.rt.com/news/632127-lithuania-china-huge-mistake/

6 Feb, 2026 12:26

NATO member blasts bloc chief’s ‘pro-war’ remarks in Kiev

Mark Rutte has pledged continued Western military support, including a possible troop deployment in Ukraine

Hungarian officials have accused NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte of overstepping his authority and making “pro-war” statements that put the bloc on course for a military clash with Russia.

Rutte visited Kiev this week in a show of support, saying member states would maintain military aid to Ukraine, possibly including troop deployments on Ukrainian soil. Moscow has repeatedly called such a scenario unacceptable.

“We call on the NATO secretary-general not to make pro-war statements,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday, adding that NATO leaders have long agreed not to provoke direct conflict with Russia. Rutte’s comments contradict that policy, he asserted.

Rutte suggested troops deployments could be approved by Moscow as part of a US-backed peace deal. Budapest fears pro-Kiev nations – including France, Germany, and the UK – would push to send troops despite Russian objections. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated his concerns Friday, calling the potential move a threat to his country.

If the Western plan is implemented, then the war will come closer to Hungary, we will be much more directly affected by this,” he said. “Then not only the economic effect, but also the physical destructive effect could reach Hungary.”

Orban’s government has opposed Brussels’ Ukraine policy, arguing that bankrolling Kiev and imposing sanctions on Russia have damaged the EU’s economy while pursuing an unwinnable cause.

That stance and Budapest’s resistance to the Ukrainian bid to join the EU has strained relations with Kiev. Ukrainian forces have targeted Hungarian oil supplies from Russia, and Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly verbally attacked Orban. At last month’s World Economic Forum, Zelensky said the Hungarian leader should be “smacked” for purportedly “liv[ing] off European money while trying to sell out European interest.”

Budapest says Zelensky is interfering in Hungarian politics ahead of April’s parliamentary election, and that Kiev is hoping for a more compliant government to take power.

https://www.rt.com/news/632097-hungary-blasts-rutte-ukraine/

Rutte is a liar and full of himself==