Woman Who Spat On Former US Attorney Charged With Assault

Authored by Stacy Robinson via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on May 22 that it had arrested a woman for assaulting then-interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin.

Emily Gabriella Sommer, 32, allegedly spat on Martin while he was conducting a television interview. The incident was caught on camera. 

According to a statement from the District U.S. Attorney’s Office, Sommer approached Martin while he was standing outside its headquarters in Washington, cursing at him.

“Martin turned to face Sommer. Sommer then said, ‘Are you Ed Martin? You are. Ed Martin.’ Sommer lunged at Martin and spit on his shoulder,” the statement said.

Sommer cursed at Martin again as she turned and walked away, shouting,

“You are a disgusting man. … My name is Emily Gabriella Sommer, and you are served.”

Following the incident, Sommer allegedly replied to numerous posts on Martin’s X account, taking responsibility for the incident. According to court documents, she posted the same message in each reply.

“ED, that was me that spit in your face today … that absolutely definitely spit in your face on camera. Hi, hello,” the posts read. 

Martin, the former chair of the Missouri Republican Party, was appointed as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia earlier this year by President Donald Trump. 

Trump nominated him for the position on a permanent basis, but had to rescind the offer after some GOP senators refused to support him. 

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters on May 6 that he would not vote to confirm Martin because they disagreed on the treatment of individuals accused of rioting at the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Tills said Martin seemed “like a good man” and that he’d made a good case that some of these individuals had been “over-prosecuted,” but also said there was “friction” on which individuals should be prosecuted. 

“If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protests happened, I’d probably support him,” Tillis said. 

“But not in this district.” 

For his part, Martin had a sense of humor about the setback. 

He posted on X a picture of himself dressed as pope with the words “Plot twist,” since Trump’s announcement was made on the same day the Vatican was in the process of electing Pope Leo XIV.  

On May 13, Martin announced that Trump had appointed him to a dual role in the Department of Justice as “pardon attorney” and director of the Weaponization Working Group, which will investigate government prosecutorial overreach.