A nonprofit organization known for its progressive stance has initiated legal action against the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging the agency’s reluctance to provide timely and appropriate access to information regarding an influential figure within former President Donald Trump’s administration.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, demands that the DOJ comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to disclose activities related to Ed Martin. The complaint is rooted in “credible, publicly disclosed whistleblower allegations” that suggest violations of the Federal Records Act and DOJ’s policies on record preservation since May.

These allegations were previously highlighted in a mid-November letter from Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland. The letter accused Martin of potentially breaching federal law by allegedly concealing and destroying communications to obscure the operations of the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group. Martin, who serves as the director of this group, also holds the position of U.S. pardon attorney and was formerly an interim U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia.

Representative Raskin’s letter further implicated Martin in controversial legal actions against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, which have thus far been unsuccessful. Raskin accused Martin of exacerbating the situation by ensuring crucial records of his activities remain hidden, allegedly using apps like Signal that automatically delete messages, which could be a breach of federal records regulations.

“My staff has received credible allegations that you are using personal devices, platforms, and applications that fail to comply with federal laws and DOJ policies on records retention for official DOJ business,” stated the congressman’s letter. “This appears to be a deliberate effort to obscure the activities of the Weaponization Working Group and your conduct.”

On the same day, reports emerged that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal app, a controversy now referred to as Signalgate, is under scrutiny. This follows revelations by Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who disclosed his inclusion in a group chat prior to U.S. military actions in Yemen. An inspector general report on the matter is anticipated imminently.

Warning Martin of possible “civil and criminal penalties, including charges for obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence[,]” Raskin reminded “one of America’s top-ranking federal lawyers” he is “obligated to follow the law [himself] and preserve messages related to [his] DOJ work in the official DOJ systems.”

“Your purported failure to do so,” Raskin continued, “is not only illegal but it also suggests that you are knowingly covering up incriminating conversations that you need to keep off the books.”

After the whistleblower allegations were raised, the DOJ reportedly declined to comment.

American Oversight’s suit, repeating these allegations, states the litigation comes after Martin and the DOJ’s “silence” on the issue.

“Since Representative Raskin publicized the ‘credible allegations’ against Ed Martin on November 17, 2025, neither DOJ nor Ed Martin has issued any form of public communication or acknowledgment regarding the substance of the allegations, nor has DOJ indicated publicly that it is making any internal inquiries,” the complaint said, further claiming that nine “expedited” processing requests under FOIA have either been denied or gone without “determination.”

“DOJ’s silence in the face of credible, publicly disclosed whistleblower allegations heightens the public’s urgent need for information about Martin in his current roles,” the lawsuit went on. “The credible allegations also underscore that expedited processing of Plaintiff American Oversight’s FOIA requests is a critical mechanism by which the public can timely learn whether appropriate steps are being taken to preserve these records.”

American Oversight Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said in a statement on the case that the “public can’t trust a justice system that lets powerful officials operate in the shadows, leaving no record of how they use — or increasingly abuse — their authority.”

“If Ed Martin is hiding or destroying government records to conceal a campaign of political retribution, it isn’t simply a process concern — it’s a threat to the rule of law itself,” Chukwu added. “The Justice Department must stop stalling and release these records immediately so the American people can see the truth for themselves.”

American Oversight has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration, through records-related litigation against DHS and in efforts to force the disclosure of Volume II of ex-special counsel Jack Smith’s report on the classified documents probe of Trump, Trump’s valet, and a Mar-a-Lago property manager.