WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s pick to head a federal regulator was withdrawn from consideration Tuesday night after his offensive text messages were made public and Republican senators rebelled.
Paul Ingrassia, who was named head of the special counsel’s office, was scheduled to have his confirmation hearing this week.
However, on Monday, Politico reported on a text chat in which he said the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “thrown into the seventh circle of hell.” Ingrassia also described herself in the chat as having “a Nazi streak” at times.
After the texts came to lithe, several Republican senators said they would not support his nomination. They included some of the most conservative and committed Trump allies in the Senate.
“I will be withdrawing from the HSGAC hearing on Thursday to assume leadership of the Office of Special Counsel as I unfortunately do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia wrote in an online message. “I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received throughout the process and will continue to help President Trump and the administration make America great again!” HSGAC is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Ingrassia’s post came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hoped the White House would withdraw Ingrassia’s nomination.
Republicans managed to push the enormous majority of Trump’s nominees through roll-call votes despite fierce Democratic opposition. But there have been sporadic instances of Republicans resisting, mostly behind the scenes, showing there are limits to their support.
Notably, Matt Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s first choice for attorney general shortly after he was nominated for the post. In May, Trump withdrew 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 his support for the Jan. 6 rioters.
Last month, the White House announced it was withdrawing the nomination of EJ Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Antoni was set to succeed a BLS director who was fired after a disappointing jobs report.
According to texts viewed by Politico, Ingrassia told chat participants that “MLK Jr. was the George Floyd of the 1960s and his ‘vacation’ should be ended and thrown into the seventh circle of hell where he belongs.”
Politico spoke with Ingrassia’s attorney, who said the text messages may have been manipulated or lacked context. The lawyer did not confirm that the texts were true.
The Office of Special Counsel is an investigative and law enforcement agency dedicated to protecting government employees and whistleblowers from retaliation for reporting misconduct. She is also responsible for enforcing the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activities by government employees.
In May, Trump described Ingrassia as a “highly respected lawyer, writer and constitutional scholar” in a social media post.
