Overview
- Paul Ingrassia pulled out of his Thursday Senate hearing and, according to Axios and Politico citing a White House official, is no longer the administration’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged the White House to withdraw the pick, saying “He will not make it,” as Republicans Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, and James Lankford also signaled opposition.
- Politico reported leaked chats in which Ingrassia allegedly derided Martin Luther King Jr. Day and described himself as having “Nazi tendencies.”
- Ingrassia’s attorney said the messages could be manipulated or stripped of context and did not confirm they were authentic.
- The disclosures came from a broader Politico review of Young Republicans’ chats featuring racist and antisemitic content, heightening scrutiny of a nominee for an agency that protects whistleblowers and enforces the Hatch Act.