President Trump’s nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of the Special Counsel is in jeopardy after reports that he sent racist texts demeaning the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and declaring he had “a Nazi streak.”
The texts, as reported by Politico, were sent to members of Young Republican Clubs and said the King holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.”
Mr. Trump picked Mr. Ingrassia, 30, to lead the office tasked with enforcing ethics rules and protecting federal whistleblowers. Mr. Ingrassia is scheduled to testify on Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
However, it appears that at least four Republican senators oppose his nomination, making it impossible for him to be confirmed if all Democrats also vote against him.
The Washington Times reached out to the White House for comment.
Two senior Democrats — Reps. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi and Robert Garcia of California — formally urged Mr. Trump to withdraw Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination based on the texts and prior allegation of sexual harassment stemming from his time as White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Keeping Paul Ingrassia on the federal payroll is a direct threat to the women who work with him and to every public servant who believes in a safe and respectful workplace,” the lawmakers said. “It’s shameful that someone under investigation for harassment — and now exposed for sending racist messages — would be rewarded with a promotion.”
Mr. Ingrassia graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022 and, during the 2024 election, promoted a false claim that Nikki Haley was ineligible to run for president. Mr. Trump shared the theory on his social media platform.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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