Paul Ingrassia is no longer the nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, two White House officials told CNN on Tuesday, after his chances of getting through the Senate confirmation imploded following reports of racist text messages that he allegedly sent to a group chat.
Ingrassia posted earlier Tuesday evening that he was withdrawing himself from his confirmation hearing “because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time.” He added that he appreciated the “overwhelming support” he received and that he “will continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again!”
His post came hours after Senate Majority Leader John Thune hinted that the White House would pull Ingrassia’s nomination following the reports of racist text messages. “I think they’ll have something official to say about that, but you know what we’ve said, and you’ll probably be hearing from them soon,” he told reporters at the White House.
Earlier Tuesday, a White House official told CNN his nomination was “under review.”
Thune said Monday night that he hoped the White House would pull the nomination after Politico’s reporting on the messages. “He’s not going to pass,” Thune added of Ingrassia, whom Trump nominated in May to lead the independent agency tasked with protecting federal whistleblowers and enforcing civil service laws.
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