Trump nominee has a ‘nazi streak,’ chats leaked by Politico reveal
Private text messages exchanged between Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, and a group of Republican operatives have been leaked to Politico, revealing racist and antisemitic language that has prompted widespread Republican opposition to his confirmation and led Senate Majority Leader John Thune to declare the nomination dead on arrival.
The text messages, sent between December 2023 and May 2024 to a group of six Republicans, show Ingrassia using racial slurs, denouncing federal holidays honoring Black Americans, and announcing he has "a Nazi streak," according to the Politico report published October 20, 2025.
Ingrassia, 30, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency responsible for protecting whistleblowers, investigating discrimination claims, and enforcing the Hatch Act.
Key Messages and Content
In a January 2024 message, Ingrassia wrote that Martin Luther King Jr. "was the 1960s George Floyd" and that his "holiday" should be "ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs," according to the leaked texts.
Using an Italian slur for Black people, Ingrassia wrote a month earlier: "No moulignon holidays … From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth," then added: "Every single one needs to be eviscerated".
In May 2024, during a discussion about a Trump campaign staffer working on minority voter outreach, one participant in the chat wrote that "Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth with Ubergruppenfuhrer Steve Bannon," referring to the paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany.
"I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it," Ingrassia responded, according to the chain.
One of the people in the text group said in an interview with Politico that Ingrassia's comment was not taken as a joke, and three participants pushed back against Ingrassia during the text exchange that day.
"Jesus Christ," one participant responded to Ingrassia's Nazi comment.
The messages also included other racist remarks. In January 2024, Ingrassia wrote of former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy: "Never trust a chinaman or Indian," and then added: "NEVER".
In February 2024, discussing why some Republicans feel that Democrats make Black people into victims, Ingrassia remarked: "Blacks behave that way because that's their natural state … You can't change them." He then added: "Proof: all of Africa is a shithole, and will always be that way".
During the May 2024 discussion, one participant told Ingrassia, "Paul, you are coming across as a white nationalist which is beneficial to nobody".
Verification and Authentication
Politico interviewed two people in the chat and granted them anonymity after they expressed concerns about personal and professional repercussions. One retained the messages and showed the text chain in its entirety to Politico, which independently verified that the number listed on the chain belongs to Ingrassia. The person said he came forward because he wants "the government to be staffed with experienced people who are taken seriously".
A lawyer for Ingrassia, Edward Andrew Paltzik, initially suggested that some of the texts were intended to be satirical, though he didn't confirm they were authentic.
"Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters 'Nazis,'" Paltzik wrote in a statement. "In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi".
In a subsequent statement to Politico several days later, Paltzik called out anonymous critics trying to hurt Ingrassia: "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. 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. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages".
Political Fallout
The revelations have prompted swift and widespread opposition from Republican senators, effectively ending Ingrassia's chances of confirmation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota told reporters Monday night that the White House should withdraw the nomination. When asked if the White House should pull Ingrassia's nomination, Thune responded, "I hope so," adding with a chuckle, "He's not going to pass".
Senator Rick Scott of Florida, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told reporters Monday evening: "No, I do not support him". Scott also stated, "I'm not supporting him. I can't imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. It's wrong".
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, another committee member, told a Huffington Post reporter that the administration should simply withdraw the nomination, stating, "I hope that occurs".
Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma told reporters Monday night that Ingrassia should withdraw. "I have tons of questions for him when he comes on Thursday, but I can't imagine supporting that," Lankford said. Lankford added that he had already spoken to Ingrassia in his office previously, but "if he comes to the hearing, I want to be able to ask him questions point-blank".
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, refrained from stating his position on Ingrassia's nomination but emphasized that the administration must consider whether it feels confident in moving forward.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has a narrow Republican majority of 8-7. If all Democrats on the committee oppose Ingrassia and at least one Republican joins them, that would be sufficient to block his nomination from advancing to the full Senate.
Background and Previous Controversies
Ingrassia graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022 and briefly worked at a law firm for approximately ten months before joining the Trump administration. He currently serves as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.
The nomination has been controversial from the beginning. Ingrassia's confirmation hearing was originally scheduled for July 2025 but was abruptly postponed. Politico reported that the delay was due to concerns regarding Ingrassia's apparent antisemitic sentiments and his lack of legal experience at age 30.
In early October 2025, Politico reported that Ingrassia had been the subject of an internal investigation at the Department of Homeland Security after a sexual harassment complaint was filed against him. The woman who filed the complaint later withdrew it and said there was no wrongdoing. Ingrassia's attorney denied the allegations.
CNN's KFile previously reported on Ingrassia's history of controversial statements and associations. These include his assertion that straight white men represent the most intelligent demographic, calls for martial law after Trump's defeat in the 2020 election, and connections to far-right figures.
Ingrassia worked for a law firm whose clients included Andrew and Tristan Tate, the influencer brothers charged in Britain and Romania with rape and human trafficking. Ingrassia has called Andrew Tate an "extraordinary human being" and "the ancient ideal of excellence".
In 2023, Ingrassia published a Substack article titled "Free Nick Fuentes," criticizing Twitter's decision to suspend the account of the far-right activist known for promoting antisemitic and white supremacist views. In June 2024, Ingrassia was spotted at a rally featuring Fuentes in Detroit. At the rally, Fuentes supporters chanted "Down with Israel".
Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Ingrassia remarked on social media: "This 'war' is just another psyop to divert Americans from celebrating Columbus Day".
The Office of Special Counsel
The Office of Special Counsel was established nearly 50 years ago in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal as a federal watchdog agency. The agency is responsible for protecting federal whistleblowers from retaliation, enforcing the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity by federal employees, and investigating claims of waste, fraud, or abuse.
The position is designed to be politically independent, though recent developments have raised concerns among whistleblower advocates and former federal ethics officials about the office's future.
Tom Devine, a lawyer from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Project, told CNN that several of his clients are hesitant to pursue claims due to fears of repercussions from OSC officials loyal to Trump. "For years, the OSC has been our go-to resource for assisting whistleblowers," Devine remarked. "If Ingrassia is confirmed, we will need to caution whistleblowers against relying on OSC for their rights, as it could lead to professional ruin".
More than two dozen groups that advocate for federal workers have urged senators to reject Ingrassia, citing his extreme views, limited legal experience, and history of calling civil servants "parasites" and "bugmen".
The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment about the text messages.
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