WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee to lead a key federal whistleblower agency appears unlikely to secure confirmation after several Senate Republicans indicated Monday that his pick doesn\u2019t have their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., asked whether the White House should pull the nomination of far-right former podcaster Paul Ingrassia, said, \u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not going to pass,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., separately told NBC News that he will oppose Ingrassia\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t plan on voting for him,\u201d said Scott, a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The panel, where Republicans hold an 8-7 majority, is scheduled to hold Ingrassia\u2019s confirmation hearing Thursday. He needs a simple majority of the committee\u2019s senators to advance his nomination to the full Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The committee\u2019s chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters he has not had an opportunity to communicate with the White House about Ingrassia\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think that ultimately, there are a lot of questions on the nomination that the White House has to make a determination whether they think his nomination can get through, and we\u2019re going to wait and hear from them what their thoughts are, whether they\u2019ve talked to all the Republican members or whether they think they have the votes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White House and Ingrassia did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rejecting Ingrassia\u2019s nomination would be a rare rebuke of Trump by a Senate Republican Conference that has shown a notable level of deference to confirming his nominees, even if senators have concerns about their histories or qualifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Office of Special Counsel is tasked with protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices such as retaliation from whistleblowing. The head of the agency is separate from special counsels\u2019 offices such as the one formerly led by Jack Smith, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The position sought by Ingrassia does not come with the authority to prosecute and bring criminal charges \u2014 but the official can seek disciplinary action against federal employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ingrassia is the White House liaison at the Department of Homeland Security and was formerly the administration\u2019s liaison to the Justice Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is on the Homeland Security Committee, did not say she opposes Ingrassia\u2019s nomination, but she said Monday that he is going to \u201chave a lot to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to hear from him, but I\u2019m sorry, he\u2019s got an uphill battle,\u201d Ernst said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked what concerns she had, Ernst said, \u201cWhere do I start?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ingrassia, who was nominated in May, has a record of inflammatory comments, such as calling for Jan. 6 to be declared a national holiday and dismissing Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel as a \u201cpsyop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More recently, Politico reported that Ingrassia was accused of sexual harassment this year by a colleague, citing three unnamed administration officials. In a separate article, published Monday, Politico cited a text chat it reviewed in reporting that Ingrassia once said he has a \u201cNazi streak\u201d and that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be \u201ctossed into the seventh circle of hell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reached for comment Monday night, Ingrassia\u2019s lawyer Edward Paltzik pointed to a previous statement in which he said, \u201cMr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers \u2014 female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise \u2014 in connection with any employment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paltzik also suggested the text messages may be AI-generated or otherwise not authentic, while adding that they were \u201cself-deprecating\u201d and \u201csatirical humor\u201d and that Ingrassia is \u201cthe furthest thing from a Nazi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ingrassia was initially scheduled to have his confirmation hearing in July, but it was abruptly removed from the committee\u2019s website after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he would oppose his nomination based on his previous comments about Jan. 6 and \u201ca number of other things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tillis is not a member of the Homeland Security Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n