WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead a key federal whistleblower agency appears unlikely to secure confirmation after several Senate Republicans indicated Monday that his pick doesn’t have their support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., asked whether the White House should pull the nomination of far-right former podcaster Paul Ingrassia, said, “I think so.”
“He’s not going to pass,” he added.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., separately told NBC News that he will oppose Ingrassia’s nomination.
“I don’t plan on voting for him,” said Scott, a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The panel, where Republicans hold an 8-7 majority, is scheduled to hold Ingrassia’s confirmation hearing Thursday. He needs a simple majority of the committee’s senators to advance his nomination to the full Senate.
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters he has not had an opportunity to communicate with the White House about Ingrassia’s nomination.
“I think that ultimately, there are a lot of questions on the nomination that the White House has to make a determination whether they think his nomination can get through, and we’re going to wait and hear from them what their thoughts are, whether they’ve talked to all the Republican members or whether they think they have the votes,” he said.
The White House and Ingrassia did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night.
Rejecting Ingrassia’s nomination would be a rare rebuke of Trump by a Senate Republican Conference that has shown a notable level of deference to confirming his nominees, even if senators have concerns about their histories or qualifications.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is tasked with protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices such as retaliation from whistleblowing. The head of the agency is separate from special counsels’ offices such as the one formerly led by Jack Smith, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump.
The position sought by Ingrassia does not come with the authority to prosecute and bring criminal charges — but the official can seek disciplinary action against federal employees.
Ingrassia is the White House liaison at the Department of Homeland Security and was formerly the administration’s liaison to the Justice Department.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is on the Homeland Security Committee, did not say she opposes Ingrassia’s nomination, but she said Monday that he is going to “have a lot to explain.”
“We’re going to have to hear from him, but I’m sorry, he’s got an uphill battle,” Ernst said.
Asked what concerns she had, Ernst said, “Where do I start?”
Ingrassia, who was nominated in May, has a record of inflammatory comments, such as calling for Jan. 6 to be declared a national holiday and dismissing Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel as a “psyop.”
More recently, Politico reported that Ingrassia was accused of sexual harassment this year by a colleague, citing three unnamed administration officials. In a separate article, published Monday, Politico cited a text chat it reviewed in reporting that Ingrassia once said he has a “Nazi streak” and that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.”
Reached for comment Monday night, Ingrassia’s lawyer Edward Paltzik pointed to a previous statement in which he said, “Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers — female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise — in connection with any employment.”
Paltzik also suggested the text messages may be AI-generated or otherwise not authentic, while adding that they were “self-deprecating” and “satirical humor” and that Ingrassia is “the furthest thing from a Nazi.”
Ingrassia was initially scheduled to have his confirmation hearing in July, but it was abruptly removed from the committee’s website after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he would oppose his nomination based on his previous comments about Jan. 6 and “a number of other things.”
Tillis is not a member of the Homeland Security Committee.
