Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump's nominee to head a key US federal watchdog agency, has resigned after a series of offensive text messages he allegedly sent surfaced.
Ingrassia, 30, said he is giving up the position to lead the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) “because, unfortunately, I don’t have enough Republican votes at this time.”
Several Republican senators have warned they will vote against Ingracia after Politico reported earlier this week. that he sent messages in a group chat in which he allegedly described himself as having “Nazi tendencies.”
A White House spokesman confirmed to BBC News that Ingrassia is no longer Trump's choice for the role.
As an independent federal agency, OSC is committed to protecting government employees who report prohibited activities.
In a post on X, Ingrassia, a former right-wing podcast host who works as a White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said he will “continue to serve President Trump and this administration to make America great again.” His post made no mention of the alleged text messages.
The BBC asked the White House whether Ingrassia would continue in his position at DHS.
The news comes a day after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the chamber's top Republican, cast doubt on Ingrassia's chances of swaying enough senators to vote for his confirmation.
Asked whether the White House should withdraw his nomination, Thune replied: “I hope so.”
“He won’t pass,” Thune added.
Florida Republican Rick Scott also told reporters he would not support Ingrassia.
In purported messages published Monday, Ingrassia reportedly denounced the Martin Luther King holiday, saying it should be “thrown into the seventh circle of hell.”
According to Politico, Ingrassia messages sent to a group of Republican operatives also denounced other holidays that honor Black Americans, including Black History Month and Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday.
“From time to time, Nazi tendencies appear in me,” one message allegedly said.
Edward Paltsik, a lawyer for Ingrassia, did not confirm the authenticity of the messages and suggested that they could have been created by artificial intelligence.
In a statement to Politico, he wrote: “Even if the lyrics are genuine, they clearly come across as self-deprecating and satirical humor, poking fun at the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters 'Nazis.'
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer condemned the alleged messages as “obscene and disqualifying.”
Republicans control the Senate 53-47 and have been largely unwilling to vote against Trump's nominees. Two other high-profile candidates also withdrew at the last minute amid doubts about their ability to win over senators.
