Trump pick to lead federal watchdog agency withdraws after offensive
text messages were revealed
[October 22, 2025]
By SEUNG MIN KIM and KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s pick to lead a federal
watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his
offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted.
Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel,
had been scheduled to have his confirmation hearing this week.
On Monday, however, Politico reported on a text chat that showed him
saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the
seventh circle of hell.” Ingrassia also described himself in the chat as
having “a Nazi streak” at times.
After the texts came to light, several Republican senators said they
would not support his nomination. They included some of the most
conservative and stalwart Trump allies in the Senate.
“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.
“I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout
the process and will continue to serve President Trump and the
administration to Make America Great Again!” HSGAC is the Senate
Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.
Asked for comment on Ingrassia withdrawing his name from consideration,
the White House said simply, “He is no longer the nominee.” But
Ingrassia's post came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune had said
he hoped the White House would withdraw Ingrassia's nomination and
several GOP senators said they would not support him.
“I’m a no," said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who sits on the committee
that would've taken up Ingrassia's nomination. “It never should have got
this far.”
Republicans have been able to muscle through the vast majority of
Trump’s nominees in roll call votes despite stiff Democratic opposition.
But there have been sporadic instances when Republicans have pushed
back, generally behind the scenes, showing there are limits to their
support.
Most notably, Matt Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s first choice for attorney
general soon after being tabbed for the job. In May, Trump pulled his
nomination of Ed Martin Jr. to be the top federal prosecutor for the
nation’s capital, bowing to bipartisan concerns about the conservative
activist’s modest legal experience and support for Jan. 6 rioters.
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Paul Ingrassia arrives before Trump speaks during a summer soiree on
the South Lawn of the White House, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Last month, the White House announced it would be withdrawing the
nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Antoni was supposed to succeed a BLS director who was fired
following a disappointing jobs report.
But Democrats weren't satisfied with Ingrassia's withdrawal, with
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calling on the
president to fire him from his current position as a White House
liaison for the Department of Homeland Security.
“This isn't anywhere near enough,” Schumer said on social media.
According to texts viewed by Politico, Ingrassia told those in the
chat that “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’
should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it
belongs.”
Politico spoke to Ingrassia’s lawyer, who said the text messages
might have been manipulated or were missing context. The lawyer did
not confirm the texts were authentic.
The Office of Special Counsel is an investigative and prosecutorial
office that works to protect government employees and whistleblowers
from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing. It’s also responsible for
enforcing the Hatch Act, which restricts the partisan political
activities of government workers.
In May, Trump described Ingrassia in a social media post as a
“highly respected attorney, writer and Constitutional Scholar.”
—
Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.
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