WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ‘s pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted.
Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, had been scheduled to have his confirmation hearing this week.
After the texts came to light, several Republican senators said they would not support his nomination.
“I’m a no,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who sits on the committee that would’ve taken up Ingrassia’s nomination.
Last month, the White House announced it would be withdrawing the nomination of E.J.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tuesday night, President Donald Trump’s choice to head a federal watchdog agency retracted his candidacy after his offensive text messages were made public and Republican senators rebelled.
This week was supposed to be the confirmation hearing for Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated to head the Office of Special Counsel.
WATCH: Facts regarding the withdrawn Trump nominee who allegedly claimed to have a “Nazi streak.”.
Politico, however, revealed a text exchange on Monday in which he was seen saying the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday ought to be “thrown into the seventh circle!”. In the chat, Ingrassia also said that he occasionally had “a Nazi streak.”.
Several senators who are Republicans declared they would not support his nomination after the texts were made public. Among them were some of the Senate’s staunchest and most conservative Trump supporters.
“Unfortunately, I do not currently have enough Republican votes, so I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel,” Ingrassia wrote in an online post. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, or HSGAC, said, “I am grateful for the tremendous support I have received throughout this process and will never stop serving President Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again.”.
The White House merely responded, “He is no longer the nominee,” when asked about Ingrassia’s decision to remove his name from consideration. Ingrassia’s appointment, however, followed statements from a number of Republican senators that they would not back him and Senate Majority Leader John Thune that he hoped the White House would revoke Ingrassia’s nomination.
“No,” the Wisconsin senator said. The committee member who would have considered Ingrassia’s nomination is Ron Johnson. “This is not how it should have progressed. “.”.
Despite fierce Democratic resistance, Republicans have managed to push through the great majority of Trump’s nominees in roll call votes.
Republicans have, however, occasionally retaliated, usually in the background, demonstrating the limits of their support.
However, shortly after being tabbed for the position, Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first pick for attorney general, resigned. Trump withdrew Ed Martin Jr.’s nomination in May. to serve as the nation’s capital’s top federal prosecutor, caving in to partisan concerns regarding the conservative activist’s lackluster legal background and backing for Jan. Six rioters.
The White House declared last month that it would not be pursuing E’s nomination. J. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will be led by Antoni.
The BLS director who was fired after a poor jobs report was supposed to be replaced by Antoni.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N, expressed dissatisfaction with Ingrassia’s withdrawal. Y. urging the president to dismiss him from his current role as the Department of Homeland Security’s White House liaison.
Schumer stated on social media that “this isn’t anywhere near enough.”.
Ingrassia informed the chat participants that “MLK Jr. It’s time for George Floyd and his “holiday” to end and go to the seventh circle of hell, where it belongs. That was the 1960s. “.”.
Ingrassia’s attorney, who Politico spoke with, suggested that the text messages might have been altered or lacked context. The authenticity of the texts was not confirmed by the lawyer.
Investigative and prosecutorial in nature, the Office of Special Counsel seeks to shield government workers and whistleblowers from reprisals for disclosing misconduct. Enforcing the Hatch Act, which limits government employees’ partisan political activity, is another duty it has.
Trump called Ingrassia a “highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar” in a social media post in May. “”.
Will Weissert, writer for the Associated Press, helped write this report.
