Interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin has launched a preliminary investigation into Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) over remarks he made in March 2020 that were seen as threatening to Supreme Court justices.

While speaking on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in March of that year, Schumer warned Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch that they would “pay a price” if they voted to overturn Roe v. Wade—a decision they ultimately supported in 2022.

“Over the last three years, women’s reproductive rights have come under attack in a way we haven’t seen in modern history. From Louisiana to Missouri, to Texas, Republican legislatures are waging a war on women, all women, and they’re taking away fundamental rights,” Schumer declared at the time.

“I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”

Schumer attempted to walk back his remarks a few days later while speaking from the Senate floor, insisting that he had not intended to threaten Supreme Court justices.

In what amounted to a non-apology, the Senate’s top Democrat acknowledged that he “shouldn’t have used the words I did,” while accusing conservatives of trying to “generate outrage” over his comments. An ethics complaint was later filed against him, but it ultimately went nowhere.

Nevertheless, in a January 21 letter that was obtained by the Washington Post,  Martin confirmed that he is opening a “preliminary inquiry” into Schumer’s threatening comments. “We take threats against public officials very seriously. I look forward to your cooperation,” Martin wrote in the letter, which was addressed to Schumer.

In a memorandum issued on Friday, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the termination of numerous prosecutors involved in the politically charged investigations into President Donald Trump and his associates.

Bove wrote that “subversive” prosecutors must be removed before they can hinder Martin’s work in the nation’s capital and try to disrupt Trump’s agenda. “I will not tolerate subversive personnel actions by the previous Administration at any U.S. attorney’s office,” Bove wrote.

In an email, Martin instructed recipients to retain all documents related to “personnel decisions regarding attorneys hired to support casework” on the January 6 Capitol protests. He also emphasized that the new directive aligns with President Trump’s order to end the weaponization of government.