D.C. Woman Charged with Assault for Spitting on Ed Martin

Emily Gabriella Sommer Faces Charges After Allegedly Spitting on Ed Martin During On-Camera Interview

Emily Gabriella Sommer, a 32-year-old Washington, D.C. resident, was arrested on May 22, 2025, following an incident on May 8, 2025, where she is accused of spitting on Edward R. Martin Jr., the incoming Department of Justice pardon attorney and director of the DOJ's Weaponization Working Group , during a recorded interview. Sommer faces one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a government official, as outlined in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on May 8, 2025, outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the 600 block of D Street Northwest, where Martin, then-Interim U.S. Attorney, was being interviewed on camera. According to the complaint, Sommer approached Martin, asked, “Who the hell are you?” and confirmed his identity, saying, “Are you Ed Martin? You are.” She then allegedly spat on his shoulder before walking away, shouting, “You’re a vile person. Screw you, Ed Martin. I’m Emily Gabriella Sommer, and you’ve been served.”

Authorities linked Sommer to an X account with the handle @EmilyGabriellaS and display name “Lefttits,” which posted about the incident that evening. The U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Sommer on May 22, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Acting U.S. Marshal Ron Carter announced the charges. The case is under investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green.