Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin has already vowed to operate as a legal attack dog for Elon Musk and DOGE, and is now styling himself and those in his office as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers.

“As President Trumps’ lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our President and we are vigilant in standing against entities like the AP that refuse to put America first,” Martin wrote in a post from the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia’s official X account on Monday. 

The post referenced an ongoing legal dispute between Trump and the Associated Press. The newswire serviced sued the president and three administration officials after having their press credentials for the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other White House events revoked over their refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” — a petty name change the president is attempting to force down the nation’s gullet. 

Despite now serving as D.C.’s top federal attorney, Martin has no past experience working as a government prosecutor, and lawmakers were quick to educate him about the scope of his job. 

“U.S. Attorneys are not the President’s lawyers. They are the United States’ lawyers. You didn’t pledge an oath to a President, you pledged it to the constitution. This statement alone is reason enough for you to resign,” wrote Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) 

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called the post “insane.” 

“If you wonder why some of us think the rule of law is about to fall, it’s this,” he wrote. “The U.S. Attorney for DC is not ‘President Trump’s lawyer’ and its job is not to “protect his leadership” nor prosecute people who ‘refuse to put America first.’”

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), offered a similar assessment — and a bit of mockery. “A few notes: 1) U.S. Attorneys are not the president’s lawyers. 2) You have a typo within the first three words of this statement. 3) Seriously?” 

Earlier this month, Martin vowed to use his office to “protect DOGE” and “hold accountable those who threaten workers.” The U.S. attorney had previously written a letter to Elon Musk offering to “pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people.”

Prosecutors in the Department of Justice represent the U.S. government in court, and have the ability to advise the executive on legal matters. Martin seems to be operating under the assumption that his interim role — which he has been nominated to take up permanently — is about providing legal services not to the United States, but to the president and his allies.