Trump Nominee Withdraws After It Was Revealed He Said He Had a ‘Nazi Streak’
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Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, withdrew on Tuesday after his involvement in racist leaked texts from Young Republicans leaders.
Ingrassia announced that he is withdrawing from a hearing for his Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs appointment. Ingrassia reportedly described himself as having a “Nazi streak” in the messages that were leaked and first reported on by Politico.
“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” he wrote. “I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout this process and will continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again!”
Politico recently published messages from a text chain between several Young Republican leaders, some of which included racist language and even praise for Adolf Hitler.
Politico reported about Ingrassia:
Ingrassia made other racist remarks, according to the chain. In January 2024, he wrote of former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy: “Never trust a chinaman or Indian” and then added: “NEVER,” the texts show. Ramaswamy, the son of Indian immigrants, declined to comment.
A month later, discussing why some Republicans feel that Democrats make Black people into victims, the texts show Ingrassia remarked: “Blacks behave that way because that’s their natural state … You can’t change them.” He then added, according to the chat: “Proof: all of Africa is a shithole, and will always be that way.” (In his first term, Trump used the term “shithole countries” to describe some African nations and Haiti.)
Ingrassia’s lawyer at the time tried to cast doubt on the messages in a statement when Politico first published its story.
“In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult,” Edward Andrew Paltzik said.
