WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's nominee to lead an influential government office is losing GOP support fast after a media report that he sent a series of racist and antisemitic texts.
In a rare split with the leader of their party, a number of Republican senators said in recent days they wouldn't support the confirmation of Paul Ingrassia, the White House's pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an ethics division that protects federal workers from whistleblower retaliation.
The apparent no votes, according to their public statements, include Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota also urged the White House on Oct. 20 not to move forward with Ingrassia's confirmation.
"He’s not going to pass," Thune told reporters, according to the Hill.
The news outlet POLITICO reported this week that a text chat showed Ingrassia, a conservative lawyer and commentator, saying he had a "Nazi streak" and believed that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell."
Ingrassia's attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, questioned the validity of the reported messages.
"In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright...
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