Trump’s Special Counsel Pick Withdraws His Nomination Amid Uproar Over Alleged ‘Nazi’ Texts, Lack of Republican Support

President Trump’s controversial nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, announced on Truth Social he was withdrawing himself from consideration ahead of his scheduled Senate committee hearing Thursday after multiple Republican senators dropped their support over a report disclosing disparaging text messages he allegedly sent criticizing Martin Luther King Jr. and making light of the Nazis, among other topics “I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Mr. Ingrassia, 30, wrote on Truth Social Tuesday night. Mr. Ingrassia’s announcement comes after at least five Senate Republicans, including Senators Josh Hawley and Rick Scott, said they would oppose his nomination. It was one of the rare instances where multiple Republican senators declined to support a Trump nominee.On Monday, Politico published messages from Mr. Ingrassia in a January 2024 text chain with “fellow” Republicans in which he allegedly joked about possessing a “Nazi streak” and called Martin Luther King Jr. “the 1960s George Floyd.”Senator John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, told reporters Monday that he believed the White House should withdraw Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination.“He’s not going to pass,” Mr. Thune said. Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Ingrassia was still scheduled to appear before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday morning. Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, when asked by a Sun reporter why the hearing was still on the schedule, said, “We’ll know more on Thursday.”In a letter to Mr. Trump on Tuesday, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland who played a central role in the Democrat-controlled House’s Russia investigation and Mr. Trump’s first impeachment, demanded the president pull Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination over his “toxic white supremacist ideology.” “You should have heeded our advice months ago and withdrawn Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination rather than making it painfully clear to America that white supremacy and its adherents hold a special place in the heart of your Administration,” Mr. Raskin wrote.Mr. Ingrassia also allegedly said in the 2024 texting conversation that the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday postal holiday should be “ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs,” and when commenting about an entrepreneur and former Republican presidential hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mr. Ingrassia allegedly wrote: “Never trust a chinaman or Indian. NEVER.”In an email message to the Sun, Mr. Ingrassia’s attorney said they “do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages,” adding that it is “extremely difficult” to authenticate allegedly leaked messages in the age of AI.“Moreover, even if, arguendo, the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis,’” the attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said. “In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi.”Mr. Ingrassia has been a lightning rod since his nomination was announced. His age and relative lack of experience — he was sworn into the New York bar in 2024 — made him an unusual candidate for the role heading the Office of Special Counsel, a traditionally independent office that supports internal government whistleblowers. The office’s previous, Senate-confirmed occupant, Hampton Dellinger, is the son of President Clinton’s liberal solicitor general, Walter Dellinger. The younger Mr. Dellinger, 58, fought in court to keep his job after Mr. Trump returned to power, but lost.In May, when Mr. Trump announced Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination on Truth Social, he praised “a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar.” Mr. Ingrassia’s brief but colorful career as a conservative attorney has included representation of a controversial social media personality, Andrew Tate. He also supported free speech rights for some of the right’s most controversial figures, including the far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes after he was kicked out of a Turning Point USA meeting. Some of Mr. Trump’s opponents portrayed Mr. Ingrassia’s comments in support of free speech as an endorsement of Mr. Fuentes, who’s been accused of making racist and antisemitic comments. Mr. Ingrassia denies any such endorsement.Earlier this month, Politico reported that Mr. Ingrassia, currently a Department of Homeland Security White House liaison, was the subject of an internal investigation over accusations that he canceled a hotel reservation during a work trip for a “lower-ranking female colleague” to force her to share a room with him, where they slept in separate beds. He was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.“Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any co-workers — female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise — in connection with any employment,” Mr. Paltzik said.In June, Mr. Ingrassia’s mother, Donna Gallo Ingrassia, reportedly made unannounced visits to the offices of Mr. Raskin and of Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, whom she wanted to give “a piece of my mind” over “disparaging things” Mr. Garcia had said about her son.In a text message to News of the United States, which first reported the exchange, Ms. Ingrassia defended her son as a “strong, unwavering Catholic who is a staunch supporter of President Trump and his agenda.”“He has tremendous support from Jewish leaders, and the Catholic community. Paul is articulate, intelligent, and wise beyond his years,” Ms. Ingrassia told Notus.On Tuesday, the Zionist Organization of America announced it was withdrawing its earlier endorsement of Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination to run the Office of Special Counsel, which is tasked with protecting federal government whistleblowers and investigating discrimination and retaliation in the workplace. “In this time of a surge and growing antisemitism, it is incumbent upon all of us to fight even any hint of antisemitism or racism,” ZOA’s president, Morton Klein, said in a statement. Before taking on his current role at DHS, Mr. Ingrassia served as White House liaison to the Department of Justice, where he reportedly disagreed with the the chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, over hiring practices.

Trump’s Special Counsel Pick Withdraws His Nomination Amid Uproar Over Alleged ‘Nazi’ Texts, Lack of Republican Support

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