March 24, 2025: #EdMartin & Hale-Cusanelli attend an event together in Naples, FL.

April 7, 2025: Martin submits written answers to the #Senate, in which he denounces Hale-Cusanelli's past statements, says he was unaware of the statements prior to giving Hale-Cusanelli an award & says "I am not close with him."

Jan 23, 2025: Hale-Cusanelli posts a photo of himself w/ #EdMartin from a #Trump inaugural celebration & writes, "It has been an honor to work with this great man."

Jan 24, 2025: Hale-Cusanelli posts another photo of himself on social media w/Martin.

Sept 11, 2024: NPR emails #EdMartin about the award & cites a litany of #antisemitic & #racist comments previously made by Hale-Cusanelli. Martin responds & calls NPR "government-funded propaganda," but does not object to Hale-Cusanelli's antisemitic comments.

Sept 24, 2024: Martin posts an interview w/Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast & refers to him as a "great friend."

Oct 8, 2024: Martin again interviews Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast & refers to him as a "friend" & "amazing guy."

A timeline of #EdMartin's evolving statements

June 2022: Ed Martin interviews Timothy Hale-Cusanelli on his podcast & says he followed "so many of the details" from Hale-Cusanelli's trial.

July 2024: Martin interviews Hale-Cusanelli & the 2 discuss the photos of Hale-Cusanelli with a "Hitler mustache" & allegations of #antisemitism.

August 2024: Martin gives Hale-Cusanelli an award at #Trump Natl Golf Club Bedminster, referring to him as an "extraordinary man" & "extraordinary leader."

However, in an email in Sept 2024, NPR wrote to #EdMartin & made him aware of a laundry list of Hale-Cusanelli's prior #antisemitic & #racist statements. In subsequent weeks & months, Martin continued to praise Hale-Cusanelli as an "amazing guy" & "great friend," & they appeared at multiple events together.

But NPR's reporting—including a DIRECT email exchange w/ #EdMartin & a review of a series of podcast interviews he conducted—casts doubt on the accuracy of Martin's sworn testimony to the US #Senate. In written answers to the Senate #Judiciary Cmte, Martin now claims he was unaware of Hale-Cusanelli's past comments until at least Aug 2024.

"I am not close with him," Martin told the Senate. "The statements that individual made are abhorrent, deplorable & unacceptable in any context."
#law #Trump

@gam3

“There is no basis to say that anything other than the most stringent #FirstAmendment protections apply to #medical journals,” she said. “It appears aimed at creating a type of fear & chill that will have effects on people’s expression — that’s a constitutional concern.”

It’s unclear how many journals have received these letters or the criteria that #EdMartin used to decide which publications to target.

Do they accept submissions from scientists with “competing viewpoints”? What do they do if the authors whose work they published “may have misled their readers”? Are they transparent about influence from “supporters, funders, advertisers & others”?

News of the letter to #NEJM was reported earlier by STAT, a health news outlet.

#EdMartin also asked about the role of the #NIH, which funds some of the #research the journals publish, & the agency’s role “in the development of submitted articles.”

At least 3 other journals have received similar letters from #EdMartin, a Republican activist serving as interim #USAttorney in DC. Martin has been criticized for using his office to target opponents of the #Trump admin.

His letters accused the publications of being “partisans in various scientific debates” & asked a series of accusatory questions about bias & the selection of #research articles.