Paul Ingrassia Reportedly Sent Controversial Texts to Fellow Republicans

It simply wouldn't be President Trump's second administration without another nominee facing backlash for past mistakes. The president has nominated Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, which protects federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), especially reprisal for whistleblowing. In other words, this office protects whistleblowers, which doesn't really feel like something the president would be into.

Ingrassia has done a lot in his 30 years. He wrote for The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit while attending law school at Cornell University. The conservative lawyer co-hosted a right-wing podcast with his sister and wrote a Substack that was reportedly read by President Trump. If conspiracies are your thing, then you'll be pleased to learn that Ingrassia is a 9/11 truther, per CNN. He is also reportedly a prolific and problematic texter, according to a string of leaked texts. Here's what we know.

In a leaked text chat with fellow Republicans, Ingrassia reportedly made numerous inflammatory statements and jokes about George Floyd, Martin Luther King, Jr., and more. The texts were obtained and published by Politico ahead of Ingrassia's Senate confirmation hearing. In January 2024, he writes, "MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs."

A month prior, Ingrassia said holidays like Kwanzaa and MLK Day had to be "eviscerated." A few months later, the group was discussing a woman hired to reach out to minority voters in Georgia when Ingrassia suggested she wasn't being respectful enough toward the white founding fathers. When someone in the group chat joked that Ingrassia belongs in the Hitler Youth Program, he responded by writing, "I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it."

When discussing former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in the chat, Ingrassia reportedly said you can never trust a "chinaman or Indian." Ingrassia also said Black people act like victims because it's their "natural state," adding, "Proof: all of Africa is a s--thole, and will always be that way."

It's been a tough couple of weeks for Ingrassia, who was accused of sexual harassment by a co-worker. In a separate Politico story, a lower-ranking female colleague alleged that Ingrassia arranged to have the two of them share a hotel room while in Orlando for a work event.

She said she reluctantly agreed to the sleeping arrangements for fear of causing a scene. The woman, a fellow Trump nominee, later filed a complaint with human resources but retracted it due to a fear of retaliation. This woman reportedly complained about Ingrassia to friends, alleging that he made her uncomfortable, which affected her ability to do her job.

Ingrassia shared a statement from his lawyers to X, denying the allegations. His lawyer also addressed the leaked texts, stating they could be AI, doctored, or lacking in "critical context."