His nomination faces vocal opposition from hundreds of veterans of the office that he is leading on an interim basis.

As controversies pile up around President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as US attorney for Washington, DC, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee met behind closed doors this week to discuss concerns about Ed Martin’s nomination and whether senators should take the extraordinary step of holding a hearing on it.

The nomination of acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin to serve in the role permanently is on life support over Republican concerns about his controversial past. Martin, a longtime conservative activist and Trump loyalist who provided legal defense to Jan.