Trump’s Pick for Special Counsel Office Withdraws From Nomination Hearing

Attorney Paul Ingrassia withdrew from consideration after several Senate Republicans said they wouldn’t vote for him after Politico reported on alleged texts.

The U.S. Capitol building during the government shutdown in Washington on Oct. 20, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, attorney Paul Ingrassia, announced that he was withdrawing from a nomination hearing set for Thursday.

“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia wrote in a post on X, referring to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

“I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout this process and will continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again!”

The decision came after two Republicans with committee jurisdiction over the nominee, Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), said they do not support Ingrassia’s confirmation.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that “he’s not going to pass” when asked about Ingrassia’s nomination hearing, in the aftermath of a firestorm of a Politico article on alleged text messages sent by Ingrassia.

The article cited messages including one that allegedly said Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday, should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.”

Ingrassia’s attorneys denied wrongdoing and in a statement to Politico said “these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted.”

In a second statement to Politico, they said they “do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages.”

“In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult,” they wrote.

“What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs.”

Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Office of Special Counsel. DHS Photo by Tia Dufour

A Cornell Law School graduate in 2022, Ingrassia was a two-time fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute. He served on the advisory board of the New York Young Republican Club and interned at the White House during the first Trump administration. He worked as a law clerk at the McBride Law Firm, known for defending Jan. 6 Capitol breach defendants.

Ingrassia currently serves as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, a role that involves advising senior Homeland Security officials on policy issues and aligning the department’s activities with the president’s agenda.

Trump, in announcing the nomination in May, described Ingrassia as “a highly respected attorney, writer, and constitutional scholar who has done a tremendous job” serving in his current position.

Ingrassia previously said he has been a target of attacks because of his “longstanding alignment with the President and steadfast commitment to ending the weaponization of our government.”

Eva Fu contributed to this report.