Whistleblower organizations applaud withdrawal of Trump’s ‘unfit’ nominee to lead oversight office

Good government groups opposed to the nomination of Paul Ingrassia to head the Office of Special Counsel welcomed his withdrawal Tuesday from consideration for the position. 

“Ingrassia did one thing right in this process — he withdrew,” said Andrew P. Bakaj, chief legal counsel for Whistleblower Aid, in a statement. “I commend him for having the minimum self-awareness to conclude that his inexperience, racist leanings and disdain for public servants — compounded with his failed character — make him resolutely unfit to hold the Office of Special Counsel.”

The whistleblower nonprofit previously warned that a partisan-minded special counsel could decimate whistleblowing. OSC enforces merit principles in federal employment and handles whistleblower complaints. 

Likewise, the Project on Government Oversight, which in July led a coalition of more than 20 federal employee unions, professional associations and public interest groups urging senators to vote against Ingrassia, said his withdrawal was “only appropriate.” 

“Someone who shows so much disdain for federal workers is entirely unfit to lead a key whistleblower office,” said Joe Spielberger, POGO senior policy counsel, in a statement to Government Executive.  “Senators were right to question his fitness for the role, and I hope they will give the next nominee the same level of scrutiny."

Ingrassia on Tuesday posted on X that he would withdraw from his nomination hearing, which was scheduled for Thursday, because “unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time.” 

He wrote, however, that he would continue to serve the Trump administration. Ingrassia has been working as the White House liaison to the Homeland Security Department. 

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, but officials have confirmed with multiple other news outlets that Ingrassia is no longer the nominee to be special counsel. 

This decision comes after reporting from Politico in recent weeks that Ingrassia has been accused of sexual harassment and wrote in texts that he has a “Nazi streak” and Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell,” among other racist messages.  

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Monday that Ingrassia’s nomination is “not going to pass.” 

Congressional Democrats have been speaking against Ingrassia, a former podcast host who graduated from law school in 2022, for months over past similar statements and actions: 

• Described federal employees as “parasites” who “leech off the diminishing lifeblood of the dying Republic” in a 2024 blog. 
• Associations with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and self-described “misogynist” influencer Andrew Tate, who has been charged with rape and human trafficking in Europe. 
• Called for martial law following Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. 

Ingrassia’s nomination hearing was originally scheduled for July, but he was removed from the agenda shortly before the meeting. 

The president fired the previous special counsel, Hampton Dellinger, before the end of his term following a legal battle.