Leaked Memo Reveals Plan to Flood D.C. Courts With Gun Cases

A recent memo from Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, appointed by President Donald Trump, ordered federal prosecutors in Washington D.C. to pursue all firearms cases referred to them in addition to pre-trial detention against persons charged with firearm crimes.

The memo outlines specific directives to reduce violent crimes as part of the "Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative.

"We will flood the federal district court with cases - to make our City safe," Martin wrote in an email. Reuters obtained the internal memo and the accompanying email this week.

The memo states that prosecutors must apply for pre-trial detention, which is when an individual is held in jail while they await trial. If a magistrate judge refuses, prosecutors must appeal.

Further, it states that prosecutors can no longer refuse to bring firearms charges unless they receive approval from Jonathan Hornok, chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Division at the Washington Office.

Hornok took the place of Denise Cheung, who resigned last month after she said she was pressured by the Trump Administration to launch a criminal investigation and freeze assets awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency – a move she argued was unwarranted.

In addition to targeting gun-related cases, Martin said that a dozen or so agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been re-assigned to work the new initiative. It’s worth noting that Trump recently appointed FBI Director Kash Patel as acting ATF Director (more on that here).

 A spokesperson for Martin’s office refused to comment.

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