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Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, lost the support of the main Jewish group backing his nomination on Tuesday after a new report revealed that he sent racist and antisemitic text messages. The text messages, obtained by Politico, allegedly included Ingrassia saying he has “a Nazi streak,” and arguing that Martin Luther King Jr. Day “should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.” Ingrassia also reportedly used racial slurs against Black and Asian Americans. On Tuesday, Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), which had previously backed his nomination, told CNN in a statement, “If these text revelations are accurate, I have no choice but to immediately withdraw my support. In this time of a surge and growing antisemitism, it is incumbent upon all of us to fight even any hint of antisemitism or racism.” The move leaves the Trump administration’s nominee — already facing collapsing Senate support after a series of CNN KFile reports detailed his history of inflammatory and conspiratorial statements — with almost no Jewish groups backing his candidacy. The administration had previously defended Ingrassia’s ties to prominent White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes by claiming he had the backing of many Jewish organizations – a claim disputed by several they listed. Ingrassia is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee this week for his confirmation hearing, but Republican senators are urging the White House to withdraw the nomination. Majority Leader John Thune said Monday night that “(Ingrassia)’s not going to pass,” while Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a Republican on the panel, has said he will vote against advancing the nomination. Ingrassia did not return a request for comment. His attorney on Monday suggested to Politico that the newly reported texts could have been “manipulated” and, if authentic, may have been meant satirically. His attorney did not respond to an inquiry from CNN on Tuesday. Ingrassia, 30, was nominated in May to head the independent agency that protects federal whistleblowers and enforces civil-service laws. The Office of Special Counsel, created after the Watergate scandal about 50 years ago, is typically headed by civil servants with a long record of managerial or prosecutorial experience for the roughly 110-person office. Ingrassia was admitted to the bar in 2024 and rose to prominence by writing a pro-Trump Substack sometimes shared by Trump on TruthSocial. This year, Ingrassia first worked as a White House liaison at the Department of Justice before reportedly being pushed out and reassigned to the Department of Homeland Security. His record had come under intense scrutiny after reports on past comments by KFile and others. His podcast’s social media account called for “martial law” to keep Trump in power after the 2020 election. On his personal X account, he shared conspiracy theories about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and described “straight White men” as the most intelligent demographic group who should be prioritized in education. Ingrassia attended a 2024 rally for Fuentes — which Ingrassia later said was accidental — and has publicly defended Fuentes’ right to post online, as well as far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after the Sandy Hook verdict, writing “WE ALL STAND WITH ALEX JONES!!” Ingrassia also called the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel a “psyop” meant to distract from Columbus Day, referred to former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley as an “insufferable b*tch,” and his podcast repeatedly amplified Fuentes’ posts and rhetoric online. The Trump administration had previously pointed to Klein and the ZOA as part of a coalition of “many Jewish groups” supporting Ingrassia — a claim that was disputed by some of the groups listed as backing his nomination. The administration had previously said he had the support of a group called “The Holocaust Council,” — a non-existent entity they later clarified meant the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the board of trustees for the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. But that group is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the chair of the board of trustees told CNN in July they do not endorse nominees. Another group the White House previously said supported his nomination, the Israeli Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), previously told CNN they were not backing him. Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, questioned the legitimacy of the latest texts reported by Politico. “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,’” he said in a statement to Politico. “In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi.”
