President Trump’s “Nazi streak” aide has suffered a humiliating welcome to his new administration job.
Paul Ingrassia, 30, withdrew his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel in October after Politico revealed a string of vile group-chat messages in which he used racial slurs, bragged about having a “Nazi streak,” and said Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.”
He managed to survive the saga, and instead of being discarded, his fruitful relationship with the president saw him moved to the General Services Administration, which oversees federal buildings, government procurement and IT services. Within weeks at the agency, he went from being deputy general counsel to acting general counsel. GSA spokesperson Marianne Copenhaver hailed Ingrassia’s “outstanding service” in a statement about his new role.
His co-workers, however, don’t share the same view. “What are we? A halfway house for bigots who can’t find jobs anywhere else in this administration?” one GSA official told Politico.
As acting head of the GSA, Ingrassia oversees over 100 lawyers, despite his own lack of experience as an attorney. The official, granted anonymity, paralleled this with the experience of his predecessor, Russell “Rusty” McGranahan, who had a three-decade career at top firms.
“Rusty was well qualified and served the administration well. I just want the government to be staffed with experienced people who are taken seriously,” they added.
Another person with insider knowledge at the agency said Ingrassia will just be given odd jobs to keep him occupied. Ingrassia “basically won’t be given anything meaningful because [agency] leadership doesn’t really want him,” they said.
“I don’t know what he is or is not, but no one cares for him,” they added.
Copenhaver, the GSA spokesperson, painted a much more flattering picture. “Paul Ingrassia is a well-regarded attorney who has provided outstanding service to President Trump and will continue to do so as GSA’s acting general counsel,” she told Politico. “The GSA has complete confidence in his ability to further both its mission and the president’s priorities.”
Ingrassia’s mother, too, said a letter signed by six Senate Democrats calling his continued employment “disturbing” is simply down to the fact that the opposition fears him.
“The Democrats clearly understand that Paul is a very intelligent, strong supporter of President Trump, which is why they want him out,” said Donna Gallo Ingrassia, a Long Island real estate broker.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the GSA and the White House for comment.
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