President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, announced Tuesday that he will withdraw his name from consideration, after offensive texts he shared with a group of Republicans were revealed and his GOP support started to wane. The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for handling federal whistleblower complaints.
In a post to X Tuesday night, Ingrassia wrote, “I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC (Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee) hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time.”
He concluded by thanking those who continued to support him, despite the controversy, adding that he will “continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again!” Ingrassia currently serves as a White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.
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The texts
Politico reported Monday that Ingrassia sent text messages describing himself as having a “Nazi streak” and calling for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.” The media outlet said it obtained the texts from sources who were part of the group chat. The news outlet confirmed the messages came from a phone number associated with Ingrassia.
“MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs,” Ingrassia wrote in the chat in January 2024, according to Politico. Ingrassia made the comments to half a dozen GOP operatives.
Some of the GOP operatives pushed back against the racist and antisemitic comments. “Jesus Christ,” one recipient replied.
Ingrassia also called for traditionally Black holidays like Kwanza and Juneteenth “to be eviscerated.”
In May 2024, the group chat focused on the Trump campaign’s hiring of a staffer in Georgia who helped with minority voter outreach. Ingrassia complained she didn’t show enough respect for the Founding Fathers being white, as reported by Politico.
Ingrassia’s texts also criticized the Founding Fathers, however, saying that “the founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal…We need to reject that part of our heritage.”
“Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth with Ubergruppenfuhrer Steve Bannon,” one unidentified member of the group chat quipped.
“I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it,” Ingrassia wrote back.
Three chat participants reportedly pushed back against those remarks, and some had advised Ingrassia to tone down his rhetoric if he wished to be a part of the Trump administration.
Ingrassia’s lawyer responds
Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, defended his client’s remarks as being “self-deprecating” and “satirical” while poking fun at liberals who “routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis.”
Paltzik also questioned the authenticity of the texts, suggesting they could have been “manipulated.”
Political violence
The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for investigating and prosecuting matters of discrimination, retaliation and other unlawful practices, among other duties.
Growing opposition
Politico published the texts ahead of Ingrassia’s Senate confirmation hearing, set for Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he wants the White House to withdraw Ingrassia’s nomination, and at least three additional Republican senators have signaled opposition, including Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma.
“I’m not supporting him,” Scott said. “I can’t imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. It’s wrong.”
“I have a ton of questions for him,” Lankford told Politico. He added that he “can’t imagine supporting that.”
Democrats have also written a letter to Trump, urging him to withdraw Ingrassia’s nomination.
The agency Ingrassia would oversee is a “traditionally independent corruption-fighting agency that safeguards federal whistle-blowers and enforces some ethics laws,” according to The New York Times. There is reportedly bipartisan concern about the possible politicization of that office.
Editor’s note: This article was updated Oct. 21, 2025, at 6:50 p.m. CT after Ingrassia announced his withdrawal from consideration.
