Paul Ingrassia is moving into a new role in the Trump administration following his recent decision to withdraw his nomination to head the Office of Special Counsel after reports emerged alleging he made racist comments in a group chat.
Instead, the 30-year-old conservative lawyer is leaving his current role as White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to serve as deputy general counsel at the General Services Administration (GSA).
"It's been the greatest honor to serve [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem and President [Donald] Trump, alongside all of you," Ingrassia wrote Thursday in a farewell email to colleagues obtained by Politico.
"I genuinely feel this is the strongest group of political appointees anywhere in the federal government, which is a credit to not just this group's work ethic, but above all, its character and integrity," he added.
Ingrassia said Trump called him into the Oval Office on Wednesday night to offer him the job.
The GSA, which oversees federal purchasing, real estate, and technology, confirmed Ingrassia's appointment in a statement.
"We look forward to having Paul Ingrassia's legal talents help advance the GSA mission and the President's priorities," a GSA spokesperson said.
In October, Ingrassia withdrew from consideration to lead the Office of Special Counsel after a report by Politico published texts attributed to him in which he allegedly said he had a "Nazi streak" and criticized holidays honoring Black Americans.
A lawyer for Ingrassia argued the messages may have been manipulated or used without full context, and asserted that even if authentic, they represented "self-deprecating" or satirical remarks rather than serious beliefs.
The nomination collapse was notable for the level of Republican resistance. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., declared publicly that "he's not gonna pass," and several GOP senators said they would oppose confirmation.
Despite that, the White House maintained Ingrassia would remain in government service and be reassigned rather than sidelined.
A White House official said that Ingrassia "is a very helpful addition to GSA and will successfully execute President Trump's America First policies."
Ingrassia graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022 and began working in the Trump administration earlier this year.
Analysts say the reassignment allows the administration to preserve a loyal operative while sidestepping the confirmation fight tied to his past remarks. The move underscores the continued influence of political loyalty in key federal appointments.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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