WASHINGTON (AP) — The President donald trump His nomination to head the federal watchdog agency was withdrawn from consideration Tuesday night after his offensive text messages were made public and Republican senators pushed back.
paul ingrassiaThe nominee to head the special counsel’s office was scheduled to have a confirmation hearing this week.
But on Monday, Politico reported a text chat in which he said the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “thrown into the seventh camp of hell.” Ms. Ingrassia also sometimes referred to herself in the chat as having “Nazi tendencies.”
After the documents were revealed, several Republican senators said they would not support his nomination. That included some of Trump’s most conservative and staunch allies in the Senate.
“Unfortunately, I do not have enough Republican votes at this time, so I am withdrawing from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of the Special Counsel,” Ingrassia wrote in an online message. “We are grateful for the overwhelming support we have received throughout this process and look forward to continuing to serve President Trump and his administration in making America great again.” HSGAC is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment. However, Ingrassia’s post was announced after the Senate Majority Leader. John Thune He said he hoped the White House would withdraw Ingrassia’s nomination.
Republicans were able to push through a majority of President Trump’s nominees in a roll call vote despite fierce opposition from Democrats. However, there have been sporadic instances of behind-the-scenes opposition from Republicans, showing that there are limits to their support.
Most notably, matt gates He withdrew his nomination as President Trump’s attorney general nominee shortly after. In May, President Trump withdrew Ed Martin Jr.’s nomination to be the capital’s top federal prosecutor, bowing to bipartisan concerns about the conservative activist’s modest legal experience and support for federal prosecutors. January 6th mob.
Last month, the White House announced that: Withdrawal of E.J. Antoni’s nomination He heads the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Antoni was supposed to replace the BLS manager. I was fired after receiving a disappointing employment report..
“MLK Jr. is the George Floyd of the 1960s and his ‘vacation’ is over and he should be thrown into the 7th Circle of Hell where it belongs,” Ingrassia told those in the chat, according to documents seen by Politico.
Politico spoke to Ingrassia’s attorney, who said the text messages may have been manipulated or lacked context. The lawyer did not confirm the authenticity of the text.
The Office of the Special Counsel is an investigative and prosecutorial agency that works to protect public officials and whistleblowers from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing. There is also a responsibility to execute hatch methodwhich restricts government employees’ partisan political activities.
In May, President Trump described Ingrassia as a “highly respected lawyer, author, and constitutional law scholar” in a social media post.
