U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who helped scuttle President Trump’s nomination of Ed Martin as U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., incorrectly suggested in an interview Thursday that Martin was no longer employed by the Department of Justice.
Martin, who defended several Jan. 6 defendants and was later named U.S. Pardon Attorney by Trump, slammed Tillis for failing to acknowledge his current position at the DOJ.
Martin wrote to Tillis: “Are you ok? Having issues for retirement? You called me on my cell phone recently to block a pardon for one of your constituents. Remember?”
Ed Martin is correct about one thing.
The “constituent” I opposed pardoning was Greg Lindberg, who was convicted of defrauding North Carolinians to the tune of billions of dollars and attempting to bribe public officials.
Keep up the great work, Ed. pic.twitter.com/WXSv8PM7ry
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) April 30, 2026
Tillis replied: “Ed Martin is correct about one thing. The ‘constituent’ I opposed pardoning was Greg Lindberg, who was convicted of defrauding North Carolinians to the tune of billions of dollars and attempting to bribe public officials. Keep up the great work, Ed.”
Martin also told Tillis to “go to [expletive]” and warned that “MAGA doesn’t forget losers!”, to which Tillis replied, “Being hated by idiots is the price you pay for not being one of them.”
[NOTE: Lindberg, a convicted insurance fraudster who owes more than $500 million in restitution payments to insurers, is seeking a presidential pardon. Tillis has been publicly urging the president to deny the request. As North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said: “Lindberg’s criminal conduct was not incidental, technical or victimless.” He added: “It was deliberate, sustained and directly aimed at corrupting a state regulatory system charged with protecting the public so he could enrich himself.”]