Copyright Newsweek
Paul Ingrassia, who pulled his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel, is the latest of dozens of individuals appointed by President Donald Trump to serve in the government to withdraw their nominations. Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email. Why It Matters Some of the withdrawals, such as that of Ingrassia, follow controversy or backlash from GOP senators who are crucial to their confirmation. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, and these nominees need majority support to be confirmed, so skepticism from just a handful of Republicans could sink a nomination. Many others, however, never gave a reason for their withdrawal. What To Know Ingrassia‘s withdrawal came after a series of racist text messages attributed to him became public. Politico reported that he had allegedly sent text messages including that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs” and that he has a “Nazi streak.” The texts drew rebuke from Republican senators, prompting him to withdraw his nomination on Tuesday. In total, nearly 50 of Trump's picks to serve in his administration have had their nominations pulled since his return to office in January. Here is a full list of Trump nominees whose nominations have been pulled so far, according to the Senate's nominations list. Adam Boehler (special presidential envoy for hostage affairs) Alan Boehme (assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs) Alina Habba (U.S. attorney for New Jersey) Brent Sadler (administrator of Maritime Administration) Brian Quintenz (chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission) Charlton Allen (special counsel) Cheryl Mason (assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs) Chris Pratt (assistant secretary of State) Christopher Gilbert (U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia) David Eisner (assistant secretary of Energy) David Rader (assistant secretary of Commerce) David Weldon (director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Edward Martin (U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.) Elise Stefanik (United Nations ambassador) Erwin Antoni (Labor Statistics commissioner) Frank Bisignano (Social Security commissioner) Gregory Autrey (NASA CFO) Janette Nesheiwat (medical director in the regular corps of the Public Health Service) Jared Isaacman (NASA administrator) Jared Novelly (New Zealand ambassador) Jason De Sena Trennert (assistant secretary of the Treasury) Jeffrey Bornstein (under secretary of Defense) Jeffrey Kaufman (member of the Farm Credit Administration Board) Jennifer Locetta (alternative representative of the U.S. for special political affairs in the U.N.) Jennifer Mascott (general counsel for Education Department) Jennifer Wicks McNamara (Vietnam ambassador) Jeremy Ellis (inspector general, Department of Housing and Urban Development) John Bartrum (assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs) John Lavalle (governor of the U.S. Postal Service) John Simermeyer (chairman of National Indian Gaming Commission) Jonathan McKernan (director of Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection) Karen Brazell (under secretary for benefits at Department of Veterans Affairs) Karen Evans (under secretary for management at the Department of Homeland Security) Kathleen Sgamma (Bureau of Land Management director) Kevin O’Farrell (assistant secretary at Department of Education) Landon Heid (assistant secretary of Commerce) Leo Brent Bozell III (CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media) Luke Petit (assistant secretary of the Treasury) Mark Brnovich (Serbian ambassador) Michael Duffy (under secretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment) Michael Jensen (assistant secretary of Defense) Penny Schwinn (Deputy Secretary of Education) Ryan Cote (assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs) Sara Carter (National Drug Control Policy director) Stella Herrell (assistant secretary of Agriculture) Terrence Gorman (chairman of board of veterans’ appeals) Theodore Cooke (commissioner of reclamation) Yehuda Kaploun (special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism) Some of these nominations, such as Ed Martin's to become the top prosecutor in Washington, D.C., followed skepticism from some Republicans in the Senate. Others, such as Trump's former attorney Alina Habba to become a federal prosecutor in New Jersey, came after she failed to garner support from her state’s senators, both Democrats, as the Senate generally requires home state senators to vouch for prosecutorial nominees. Trump pulled the nomination of Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, to become United Nations ambassador over concerns about Republicans’ narrow margin in the House of Representatives and whether a Democrat could win the election to replace her. Had her nomination gone through, she was not seen as someone who was going to face a challenging confirmation. Reasons were not given for all withdrawals, and some have been nominated for other positions. Attorney Charlton Allen, for instance, withdrew his bid to become a special counsel but was later nominated to be general counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Additionally, the nomination of former Representative Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general was withdrawn before Trump took office. What People Are Saying Paul Ingrassia, on Truth Social: “I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time. I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout the process and will continue to serve President Donald Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again.” Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida told reporters on Monday: "I'm not supporting him. I can't imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. It's wrong." Journalist Gabe Fleisher wrote on X: “Ingrassia is the 49th Trump nominee to withdraw this year. No president in recent history had had to take back that many nominations in a single year.” What Happens Next Trump must now select a new nominee for the Office of Special Counsel, who will face confirmation from the Senate.
