Trump pick to lead watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages revealed

Politico

WASHINGTON — 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.
Asked for comment on Ingrassia withdrawing his name from consideration, the White House said simply, “He is no longer the nominee.”
“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.
In May, Trump described Ingrassia in a social media post as a “highly respected attorney, writer and Constitutional Scholar.”

NEUTRAL

WASHINGTON — Following his offensive text messages being made public and a backlash from Republican senators, President Donald Trump’s choice to head a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening.

This week was supposed to be the confirmation hearing for Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated to head the Office of Special Counsel.

Politico, on the other hand, revealed a text exchange in which he was seen saying the Martin Luther King Jr. Vacation ought to be “thrown into the seventh circle of hell.”. During the conversation, Ingrassia also admitted to occasionally having “a Nazi streak.”.

A number of Republican senators declared they would not back his nomination after the texts were made public. Among them were some of the Senate’s staunchest and most conservative Trump allies.

“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. “I will continue to serve President Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again!” HSGAC, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said.

The White House merely stated, “He is no longer the nominee,” in response to a question about Ingrassia removing his name from consideration. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed his hope that the White House would revoke Ingrassia’s nomination, and a number of Republican senators stated they would not back him. This led to Ingrassia’s appointment.

Sen. from Wisconsin said, “I’m a no.”. Ron Johnson, a member of the committee that would have considered Ingrassia’s candidacy. “It should never have progressed this far. “.

Despite strong opposition from Democrats, Republicans have managed to pass the great majority of Trump’s nominees in roll call votes. Republicans have, however, occasionally retaliated, usually in the background, demonstrating the boundaries of their support.

Most significantly, shortly after being tabbed for the position, Matt Gaetz resigned as Trump’s first pick for attorney general. Ed Martin Jr. was not nominated by Trump in May. to be the country’s capital’s top federal prosecutor, caving in to partisan concerns regarding the conservative activist’s lackluster legal background and backing for Jan. There were six rioters.

The White House declared last month that it was pulling E’s nomination. J. . The head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be Antoni. A BLS director was fired after a poor jobs report, and Antoni was meant to take over.

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 posted, “This isn’t anywhere near enough,” on social media.

Texts Politico saw show that Ingrassia informed the chat participants that “MLK Jr. George Floyd and his “holiday” should be put to an end and cast into the seventh circle of hell, where it belongs, since it was the 1960s. “.”.

Ingrassia’s attorney told Politico that the text messages may have been altered or lacked context. The lawyer did not verify the authenticity of the texts.

Protecting government workers and whistleblowers from reprisals for disclosing misconduct is the goal of the Office of Special Counsel, an investigative and prosecutorial agency. It is also in charge of upholding the Hatch Act, which limits government employees’ ability to engage in partisan political activity.

In a social media post in May, Trump called Ingrassia a “very renowned lawyer, author, and constitutional scholar.”. “..”.

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