Paul Ingrassia’s name might not be familiar to most Americans, but the right-wing lawyer and former podcast host is currently serving as the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, and he’s also Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Office of Special Counsel.
His nomination, however, does not appear to be long for this world. Politico reported:
Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be ‘tossed into the seventh circle of hell’ and said he has ‘a Nazi streak,’ according to a text chat viewed by Politico. Ingrassia, who has a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled Thursday, made the remarks in a chain with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers, according to the chat.
A lawyer for Ingrassia said in a statement, “Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, 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.’”
That wasn’t a great defense. Indeed, according to the leaked texts, the authenticity of which have not been verified by MSNBC, a member of the chat group said Ingrassia “belongs in the Hitler Youth.” Ingrassia replied, “I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it.”
For those who might need a refresher, during Trump’s first term, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel was a routine annoyance. The OSC (not to be confused with appointed special counsels such as Jack Smith or Robert Mueller) frequently investigated allegations of misconduct and ethical lapses at the White House, which led to multiple findings related to Hatch Act violations.
The president was apparently determined to bring the office to heel in his second term, which is why he fired Hampton Dellinger as the head of the independent ethics agency just a couple of weeks after his second inaugural.
In May, Trump announced that he’d chosen Ingrassia to lead the office, describing his nominee as “a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar.” That wasn’t an entirely complete description. To wit, The Washington Post reported that Ingrassia had “publicly advocated” for white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes, publishing a Substack titled “Free Nick Fuentes” and writing via social media that “dissident voices” such as Fuentes should have a place in conservative politics.
What’s more, as The New York Times reported, Ingrassia also hosted a podcast, called “Right on Point,” and in December 2020, as Trump tried to overturn the results of his election defeat, the podcast posted a statement online that it was time for the outgoing Republican president “to declare martial law and secure his re-election.”
In case that weren’t quite enough, a CNN report from earlier this year noted that Ingrassia’s podcast account also posted a quote from President John F. Kennedy the night of the Jan. 6 attack that read, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, (will) make violent revolution inevitable.”
The same CNN piece added, “Ingrassia’s tweets have likened [former Vice President Mike] Pence to Brutus and Judas, saying he belongs in the ‘ninth circle of hell.’ He has repeatedly called for expelling ‘traitors’ from the GOP.”
The Atlantic noted that Ingrassia has called Nikki Haley, Donald Trump’s former United Nations ambassador who ran against him, during the Republican primary last year, an “insufferable b—-” who might be an “anchor baby” too. MSNBC’s Barbara McQuade also highlighted Ingrassia’s 9/11 conspiracy theories, adding, “Picking Paul Ingrassia to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel is not like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. It’s more like setting fire to the whole farm.” For his part, Ingrassia told MSNBC that he will not ask for his nomination to be pulled. Whether he quits or not, however, his nomination appears increasingly doomed: In July, retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced his opposition to Ingrassia, and this week, a variety of other GOP senators said they’ll also oppose the nominee. In the wake of the latest Politico report, Senate Majority Leader John Thune went so far as to call on the White Hose to withdraw Ingrassia’s nomination. “He’s not gonna pass,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters. For now, Ingrassia is scheduled to testify later this week before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Whether that seemingly unnecessary hearing will proceed as planned remains unclear. Watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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