Paul Ingrassia picked to head U.S. Office of Special Counsel
The Office of Special Counsel investigates and prosecutes allegations of prohibited personnel practices (PPPs) of federal employees and applicants, especially retaliation for whistleblowing. The office also investigates allegations of wrongdoing within the executive branch and enforces the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by government employees.
In a post on X, Ingrassia wrote that he would make "every effort to restore competence and integrity to the Executive Branch -- with priority on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal workforce and revitalize the Rule of Law and Fairness in Hatch Act enforcement."
The previous occupant of the position, Hampton Dellinger, was fired by Trump in February. He sued to keep his job, and while a federal judge initially issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump, a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling clearing the way for his firing. Dellinger ended his legal battle against Trump on March 6.
In February, Dellinger wrote in a statement that the mass firings of probationary employees led by the Department of Government Efficiency appear illegal. He asked a specialized labor board to pause the terminations of six employees in six different federal agencies so the watchdog organization could investigate.
Dellinger wrote in a statement that the terminations appear "contrary to a reasonable reading of the law," particularly the law about reductions in force. Federal law generally requires 60 days' notice for a reduction in force and prohibits probationary employees from being fired for reasons unrelated to performance or conduct.
Ingrassia also briefly served as the White House liaison for the Department of Justice shortly after Trump returned to office in January.
But he was reassigned to DHS after pushing to recruit candidates showing "exceptional loyalty" to Trump, and his efforts sparked clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi's top aide, Chad Mizelle, ABC News reported in February.
Contributing: Erin Mansfield
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