Nominee for Federal Oversight Position Steps Down Amid Controversy
In a surprising turn of events, President Donald Trump’s nominee for a key federal oversight role has withdrawn his name from consideration following backlash over inappropriate text messages. Paul Ingrassia, who was set to lead the Office of Special Counsel, faced opposition after his controversial remarks surfaced.
Initially scheduled for a confirmation hearing this week, Ingrassia’s candidacy was derailed when Politico reported his inflammatory comments about the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In the leaked texts, he suggested the holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell,” and referred to himself as having “a Nazi streak” at times.
Following the release of these texts, several Republican senators, including staunch Trump allies, expressed their unwillingness to support Ingrassia’s nomination. This prompted Ingrassia to announce, “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.” The HSGAC refers to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.
The White House responded to the withdrawal by stating, “He is no longer the nominee.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune and others had previously expressed a desire for the nomination to be retracted. “I’m a no,” declared Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, indicating his opposition to Ingrassia’s nomination. “It never should have got this far.”
While the Trump administration has largely succeeded in pushing through nominees despite Democratic resistance, there have been instances of internal Republican dissent. Notably, Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for attorney general, and Ed Martin Jr. was pulled from nomination as the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital due to bipartisan concerns.
In another case last month, the administration withdrew E.J. Antoni’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, following the firing of a BLS director after an unfavorable jobs report.
Despite the withdrawal, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has called on President Trump to remove Ingrassia from his current role as a White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, stating, “This isn’t anywhere near enough.”
Ingrassia’s lawyer suggested the texts might have been altered or lacked context, though did not verify their authenticity. The Office of Special Counsel, which Ingrassia was nominated to head, is tasked with protecting government employees from retaliation and enforcing the Hatch Act, which limits partisan activities of government workers.
In May, Trump praised Ingrassia on social media as a “highly respected attorney, writer and Constitutional Scholar.”
