Subsequently, Democrats in Congress called on President Trump to withdraw his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel (OSC). A new report reveals text messages In which the nominee reportedly condemned the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and admitted to having “Nazi tendencies in me from time to time.”
Representative Bennie Thompson (Miss.) and Representative Robert Garcia (Calif.) – the top Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, respectively – letter written to the president On Monday he was urged to dismiss Paul Ingrassia from federal service and withdraw his nomination.
Ingrassia’s Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The pair of high-ranking Democrats pointed to “racist messages” reported by Politico on Monday, including allegations about a past relationship between former podcast host Ingrassia and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He also pointed to previous reports indicating that Ingrassia was the subject of a sexual harassment investigation at the Department of Homeland Security, where he serves as the White House liaison. The woman who filed the initial sexual harassment complaint later withdrew it, Politico reported.
“Mr. Ingrassia’s misconduct makes his continued appointment as the White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dangerous for women, and his proposed promotion to serve as special counsel disgraces the office and insults the American people,” Thompson and Garcia wrote in the letter addressed to the president.
Democrats cited several examples of text messages exposed in the Politico report that they called problematic.
“I have Nazi tendencies from time to time, I will admit it,” Ingrassia reportedly wrote in one message. In another he reportedly wrote, “Never trust a Chinaman or an Indian.”
According to Politico, Ingrassia wrote in a series of messages, “We need competent white men in leadership positions… The Founders were wrong that all people were created equal… We need to reject that part of our heritage.”
“Ultimately, Mr. Ingrassia is partisan and incapable of enforcing the law fairly and equitably,” the Democrats wrote in the letter.
In a separate statement, Thompson said: “It is shameful that someone under investigation for harassment – and now exposed for sending racist messages – would be rewarded with a promotion. President Trump should immediately withdraw his nomination and remove him from government service.”
Ingrassia’s attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik did not confirm the authenticity of the messages, but still suggested that they were written in a light-hearted manner.
“Even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecation and satirical humor that mocks the fact that liberals bizarrely and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis.’ In fact, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi,” confirmed to The Hill. Paltzik told Politico in a statement.
“In this age of AI, authentication of purportedly leaked messages, which may be completely false, doctored, or manipulated, or lack important context, is extremely difficult,” he said.
In the letter to Trump, Democrats also focused heavily on the alleged sexual harassment incident, which they said was investigated by the DHS Inspector General and the White House Office of Presidential Personnel and which resulted in Ingrassia’s badge and access to DHS headquarters being temporarily revoked.
Ingrassia’s nomination “reflects the Trump administration’s contempt for the protections of women in the workplace and is a slap in the face to every American who values justice and integrity in the federal merit system,” the Democrats wrote.
Paltzik completely denied the sexual harassment allegations, writing, “Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any co-worker – female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise – in connection with any employment.”
Thompson and Garcia called Ingrassia “wholly unfit to lead” the OSC, which handles sensitive matters including federal whistleblower complaints and discrimination claims.
He notes that Ingrassia, at age 30, “only recently graduated from law school has less legal experience than many people applying for entry-level positions at the organization he has been nominated to lead.”
“To begin rebuilding the integrity of DHS and OSC, Mr. Ingrassia should be dismissed from federal service and his nomination to serve as special counsel should be immediately withdrawn,” the Democrats wrote. “Mr. Ingrassia’s employment and nomination is an insult to women, people of color, and the American public. We look forward to the swift withdrawal of this unqualified and dangerous nominee.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
In July, Ingrassia was scheduled for confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, but his name was quietly removed from the agenda. At the time, the White House said it was not withdrawing his nomination.
“Paul Ingrassia is still the nominee and is currently serving in his role as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He will speak with senators next month and we are hopeful that he will be confirmed quickly. The President has full confidence in him and his ability to lead the Office of the Special Counsel,” an administration official then told The Hill.
