President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead a federal watchdog has withdrawn from consideration after racist and hateful messages he allegedly sent were exposed.
Paul Ingrassia, 30, allegedly admitted that had a “Nazi streak” and sent racial slurs in a group chat.
“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia posted in an online message.
Ingrassia, the current White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, said he would “continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again!”
I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time.I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout this process and will continue to…
— Paul Ingrassia (@PaulIngrassia) October 21, 2025
In a previous statement to the Daily Beast, Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, had questioned the authenticity of the text messages, which were verified by Politico.
“Even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis.’ In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi,” he wrote.
“In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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