A Senate panel punted its consideration of Paul Ingrassia amid concerns about the controversial nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel.
Ingrassia was slated for a confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC), but his name was quietly removed from the agenda.
Ingrassia, a former podcast host, has made a series of controversial remarks praising right-wing figures and the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
“I’m relieved to see that Paul Ingrassia, the nominee to run the Office of Special Counsel, has been pulled from today’s hearing. The Office of Special Counsel is an independent, nonpartisan agency that investigates allegations of prohibited personnel practices involving federal employees, including whistleblower retaliation,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the committee, said during his opening remarks.
“Mr. Ingrassia is unqualified for the position, both in terms of legal experience and given his long record of bigoted statements. And I urge the administration to formally withdraw his nomination.”
A White House official said they do not plan to do so.
“Paul Ingrassia is still the nominee and is currently serving in his role as White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He will spend the next month speaking with Senators and we expect him to be swiftly confirmed. The President has full confidence in him and his ability to lead the Office of Special Counsel,” an administration official told The Hill.
In 2020, Ingrassia said it was “time for @realDonaldTrump to declare martial law and secure his re-election.”
He also said in December that President Trump should “offer reparations to the tune of $1 million per family (at least)” for Jan. 6 defendants.
Those remarks run afoul of a pledge by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who said he plans to oppose any Trump nominee that expressed support for Jan. 6.
“The guy’s got the exact wrong rap sheet to get my support,” Tillis told The Washington Examiner.
“It’s January 6th, it’s a number of other things. So, I think he’s one of these people that’s checked all the boxes and they’re all the wrong boxes,” he told NBC News.
“It’s pretty apparent to me he’s not ready for prime time, but he’s young, he’s got plenty of time to learn,” Tillis said.
Ingrassia is a former writer for the Daily Caller who graduated from law school in 2021.
Beyond his comments on Jan. 6, Ingrassia served on the legal team representing self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, describing him as the “embodiment of the ancient ideal of excellence” for his “sheer physical prowess” and being “sharp as a tack” and full of “willpower and spirit.”
Tate has been charged with human trafficking in Romania as well as rape in the United Kingdom.
Ingrassia has also pushed for Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist who has espoused white supremacist and antisemitic views, to be reinstated to Twitter, now known as X, calling it a First Amendment issue in a Substack post.
The role of special counsel serves many purposes. It’s an office where whistleblowers can file complaints and federal workers can go for help if they feel they’ve been wrongfully terminated. It also investigates violations of Hatch Act prohibitions on electioneering.
Trump fired prior special counsel Hampton Dellinger despite his being confirmed to a five-year term after being nominated by President Biden.
During his brief time under the Trump administration, Dellinger challenged the widespread firings of probationary workers hired or promoted within the last year or two.
Dellinger launched a legal challenge to remain in his post and was briefly reinstalled by the courts, but he resigned from the role when an appeals court determined he could not stay on the job as the case continued.
