Summary
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and several other Republican senators want the White House to withdraw Paul Ingrassia’s nomination due to leaked racist and antisemitic messages. Ingrassia is President Trump’s choice for the Office of Special Counsel, but his confirmation faces opposition. He is still scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Key Facts
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants Paul Ingrassia’s nomination withdrawn after reports of offensive texts.
- Ingrassia is nominated by President Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel.
- At least four Republican senators oppose the nomination: Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, and John Thune.
- Ingrassia allegedly sent texts describing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday negatively and mentioned having "a Nazi streak."
- If more than three Republican senators oppose, Ingrassia’s confirmation could fail without VP JD Vance’s tiebreaking vote.
- Politico also reported an earlier investigation into Ingrassia over a withdrawn sexual harassment complaint.
- Ingrassia is still scheduled to appear before a Senate committee for his confirmation hearing.
- Ingrassia's lawyer claims the texts might be manipulated and argues they are taken out of context.
