Senate Majority LeaderJohn Thune wants the White House to yank Paul Ingrassia's nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel, citing newly surfaced texts reported by Politico. "He's not gonna pass," the South Dakota Republican told reporters Monday, referring to the confirmation process. Ingrassia, who is set to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, faces mounting resistance from within his own party.
The controversy centers on a group chat from 2024 in which Ingrassia allegedly said the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell" and described himself as having "a Nazi streak." He also allegedly said other holidays or occasions honoring Black people, like Black History Month or Juneteenth, should be "eviscerated," the Guardian reports. The "Nazi streak" comment came after someone else in the group chat joked that Ingrassia "belongs in the Hitler Youth" after a discussion about a Trump campaign staffer not seen as being deferential enough to the fact that the founding fathers were white. Ingrassia's lawyer did not confirm the authenticity of the texts, suggesting they may have been manipulated, missing important context, or meant in a "satirical" way.
GOP Sens. Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, and James Lankford have all indicated they won't support Ingrassia's confirmation. Scott was especially blunt: "I can't imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. It's wrong." Lankford said he had "tons of questions" for the nominee and "can't imagine supporting that." With the Senate so narrowly divided, Ingrassia can only afford to lose support from three Republicans before Vice President JD Vance would need to step in for a tie-breaking vote—assuming all Democrats vote no.
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The Politico report also noted a previous sexual harassment complaint against Ingrassia from a subordinate, though that complaint was later withdrawn. Ingrassia has also come under fire for his support of white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Ingrassia's attorney has denied any wrongdoing. The White House has not responded to questions about Ingrassia's future, and a spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security panel, referred inquiries back to the administration.
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