One of President Donald Trump's first acts upon taking office was to name Ed Martin to serve as acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

While Trump hoped to have Martin permanently confirmed to the role, he was forced to reverse course after a Republican senator said that the nominee's background disqualified him. 

Trump expresses disappointment

"He wasn't getting the support from people that I thought," Fox News quoted Trump as telling reporters about Martin's prospects while at the White House on Thursday.

"You know, he's done a very good job. Crime is down 25% in DC during this period of time… I can only lift that little phone so many times of the day. But we have somebody else," the president continued.

"I have to be straight. I was disappointed," Trump acknowledged. "A lot of people were disappointed. But that's the way it works.

"Sometimes, you know, that's the way it works. And he wasn't rejected, but we felt it would be very – it would be hard. And we have somebody else that will be announcing over the next two days who's going to be great," Trump went on to stress.

Tillis blasts Martin's Jan. 6 work

Trump's remarks came two days after The Hill reported that North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said he would not back Martin's nomination.

The Hill noted that Martin was a key organizer of 2020's "Stop the Steal" movement and also defended some of those who were arrested following the Jan. 6, 2021, unrest on Capitol Hill.

Tillis, who serves as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, alluded to those activities when criticizing Martin's suitability for the role.

"If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protest happened, I’d probably support him but not in this district," Tillis told a reporter.

Opposition effectively scuttles nomination

"At this point, I’ve indicated to the White House I wouldn’t support his nomination," the North Carolina lawmaker went on to declare.

"We have to be very, very clear that what happened on Jan. 6 was wrong. It was not prompted or created by other people to put those people in trouble," he insisted.

Tillis insisted that those who participated in the breach "made a stupid decision and they disgraced the United States by absolutely destroying the Capitol."

As The Hill explained, Republicans currently hold 12 of the Senate Judiciary Committee's 22 seats, meaning that a vote against Martin by Tillis would result in a deadlock.