After the “racist and pro Nazi” chats leaked, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening. Paul Ingrassia had been scheduled to attend his confirmation hearing with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) during the week. However, on Monday, Politico reported a text conversation in which Ingrassia said some racist comments. Politico revealed that Ingrassia said that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell and referring to former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, said: “Never trust a chinaman or Indian.” The texts also showed Ingrassia describing himself in the chat as having “a Nazi streak” at times.Also Read: Racist, pro-Nazi chat by Trump nominee leaked — What Paul Ingrassia said in chatAfter the texts were made public, several Republican senators, including some of President Trump’s most conservative allies in the Senate, announced they would not support his nomination. “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,” Ingrassia posted in an online message. “I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout the process and will continue to serve President Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again!” Ingrassia’s withdrawal followed remarks from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who expressed hope that the White House would retract his nomination. While Republicans have generally succeeded in advancing the majority of President Trump’s nominees in roll call votes despite strong Democratic opposition, there have been occasional instances of internal resistance, typically behind the scenes, indicating limits to their support.
Who is Paul Ingrassia?
Paul Joseph Ingrassia is an American attorney and political commentator who, as of 2025, served as White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).He also briefly served as liaison to the Department of Justice earlier that year.Ingrassia studied mathematics and economics at Fordham University before attending Cornell Law School, where he served as senior online editor for the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.He is known for his conservative political views and has contributed writings to outlets like National Review and The Daily Caller. Ingrassia co-hosted a podcast and gained attention for controversial political commentary frequently cited and shared by former President Donald Trump.In May-2025, Trump nominated Ingrassia to lead the US Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency responsible for protecting federal whistleblowers and enforcing civil service laws.
Recent setbacks for high profile government nominations
The White House indefinitely paused the judicial nomination of former Florida Deputy Attorney General John Guard due to his involvement with a charity under criminal investigation, Axios reported on Monday. Trump also withdrew economist EJ Antoni’s nomination to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics late last month amid concerns he was viewed as unqualified and too partisan. Earlier this year, the White House pulled Dave Weldon’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
