Washington (BN24) – Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, withdrew his name from consideration Tuesday after losing key Republican backing amid controversy over past remarks and allegations of misconduct.
“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 said in a statement.
Trump had nominated Ingrassia to head the OSC, an independent federal agency responsible for protecting government employees from prohibited personnel practices, including retaliation against whistleblowers. But the nomination quickly drew scrutiny following reports from Politico detailing alleged offensive messages and past behavior that sparked bipartisan concern.
The most recent Politico report cited messages Ingrassia allegedly sent in a private text chat, in which he said he had a “Nazi streak” and called Martin Luther King Jr. Day something that should be “tossed in the seventh circle of hell.” The same outlet had earlier reported that he was accused of sexual harassment by a colleague, citing multiple administration officials.
Ingrassia’s attorney, Edward Paltzik, denied the harassment allegations and questioned the authenticity of the reported text messages. Paltzik argued that even if the messages were real, they were meant as “self-deprecating and satirical humor,” not serious statements.
Despite the defense, Ingrassia faced a growing wave of opposition within his own party. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said Monday that the nomination was “not going to pass” and advised the White House to pull it. “I think they’ll have something official to say about that,” Thune told reporters Tuesday, hinting that the withdrawal was imminent.
Other Republican senators voiced similar concerns. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said he would vote against Ingrassia’s nomination, citing comments about Jews and Indians that he said undermined Ingrassia’s credibility. “I think it’d be very difficult for a lot of federal employees to be able to say he’s impartial,” Lankford said. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin agreed, saying, “They ought to withdraw him.”
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, another Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, stopped short of declaring her position but admitted Ingrassia faced “an uphill battle.”
The issue reportedly came up during Trump’s lunch with Senate Republicans in the Rose Garden on Tuesday, where several senators raised concerns about the potential fallout of keeping Ingrassia’s nomination alive.
Even before this controversy, Ingrassia had drawn criticism for inflammatory public statements. The former podcaster once called the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol a “peaceful protest against a great injustice” and suggested the day should be made a national holiday. He also described Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel as a “psyop.”
Ingrassia’s decision to withdraw spares the White House a contentious confirmation battle and underscores the challenges Trump has faced filling senior administration positions amid scrutiny of nominees’ past statements and conduct.
