Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he's hopeful the White House withdraws the nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, warning "he's not going to pass."
Thune made the comments to reporters Monday in the wake of a Politico story that detailed racially charged text messages Ingrassia allegedly sent in a group chat. In one, Ingrassia said Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell," according to the report.
When asked if the White House should pull Ingrassia's nomination, Thune said, "I hope so. He's not going to pass."
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told NBC News he will oppose Ingrassia's nomination.
"I don't plan on voting for him," Scott told the outlet.
Scott's committee is slated to hold a confirmation hearing for Ingrassia on Thursday.
Scott's opposition, combined with unanimous Democrat opposition, would block Ingrassia from advancing.
At issue are texts Ingrassia purportedly sent in January 2024, Politico reported.
"MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his 'holiday' should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs," Ingrassia allegedly wrote in a group chat composed of Republican operatives and influencers, according to Politico.
A month earlier, Ingrassia allegedly wrote in a group chat, "No moulignon holidays ... From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth," then added: "Every single one needs to be eviscerated," Politico reported. Ingrassia added he has "a Nazi streak," according to the report.
A lawyer for Ingrassia suggested the texts were manipulated or taken out of context.
"Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters 'Nazis,'" Edward Andrew Paltzik wrote in a statement, according to Politico.
President Donald Trump nominated Ingrassia in May to head the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency responsible for safeguarding federal whistleblowers and upholding civil service laws.
"The administration ought to just pull that nomination. I hope that happens," Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Monday, according to The Hill.
Ingrassia's confirmation hearing was originally set for July but was suddenly pulled from the committee's website after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced he would oppose the nomination, citing Ingrassia's past remarks about Jan. 6 and "a number of other things."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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