Latest news with #PaulIngrassia
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Trump picks right-wing lawyer and podcaster who promoted 2020 election lies as watchdog agency head
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's pick to lead a federal watchdog agency is a former right-wing podcast host who has praised criminally charged influencer Andrew Tate as a 'extraordinary human being' and promoted the false claim that the 2020 election was rigged. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Paul Ingrassia would lead the Office of Special Counsel, an agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers that is also responsible for enforcing the Hatch Act, which restricts the partisan political activities of government workers. Trump described Ingrassia in a social media post on Thursday as a 'highly respected attorney, writer and Constitutional Scholar.' Ingrassia was most recently working as the White House liaison for Homeland Security after briefly serving in the liaison position at the Justice Department. Ingrassia called his nomination the 'highest honor.' Ingrassia didn't immediately respond to a message on Friday. 'As Special Counsel, my team and I will 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,' Ingrassia wrote on social media. Ingrassia worked for a law firm whose clients included Andrew and Tristan Tate, the influencer brothers charged in Britain and Romania with rape and human trafficking. Ingrassia has described Andrew Tate, the former professional kickboxer and self-described misogynist, as an 'extraordinary human being' and 'the ancient ideal of excellence.' 'It is for this reason that he and his brother have become public enemies number one and two in the eyes of the Matrix, the deep state, and the satanic elite that attempt to systematically program and oppress all men from womb-to-tomb – a form of communism that not even Karl Marx, in his wildest dreams, could have imagined,' Ingrassia wrote in a 2023 social media post. Ingrassia that same year published a Substack post titled 'Free Nick Fuentes,' criticizing then-Twitter's decision to suspend the account of the far-right activist who has used his online platform to spew antisemitic and white supremacist rhetoric. Ingrassia was seen in 2024 at a rally where Fuentes spoke, The Intercept reported. Ingrassia previously told NPR that he did not intend to go the impromptu Fuentes rally, which was near another event, adding: 'I had no knowledge of who organized the event, observed for 5-10 minutes, then left.' The day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Ingrassia wrote on social media: 'This 'war' is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day.' Days later, he wrote: 'I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was yet another psyop.' Ingrassia has also promoted the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, publishing a piece in November that argued that Trump's win over Kamala Harris proved 'beyond all doubt' that the 2020 race was 'fraudulent.' The Office of Special Counsel is an independent agency separate from Justice Department special counsels, who are appointed by the attorney general for specific investigations, like Jack Smith. Trump in February fired the previous special counsel, Hampton Dellinger, leading to a legal battle. A federal judge in Washington initially ruled that Dellinger's firing was illegal, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later ruled that the Trump administration could replace Dellinger while the legal battle played out. Dellinger ultimately abandoned his fight to get his job back, acknowledging that he was facing likely long odds before the Supreme Court.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump taps right-wing lawyer to head U.S. Office of Special Counsel
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would nominate Paul Ingrassia, a 30-year-old lawyer and former right-wing podcast host, to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent watchdog agency that oversees federal personnel issues and plays a crucial role in protecting whistleblowers within the government. 'Paul is a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar, who has done a tremendous job serving as my White House Liaison for Homeland Security,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'Paul holds degrees from both Cornell Law School and Fordham University, where he majored in Mathematics and Economics, graduating near the top of his class. Congratulations Paul!'
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Trump Nominates a Former Far-Right Podcast Host to Head an Ethics Watchdog
President Trump on Thursday nominated Paul Ingrassia, a former far-right podcast host now serving as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, to a new key role: head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent corruption-fighting agency that safeguards federal whistle-blowers and enforces some ethics laws. The office has had a bumpy ride in the second Trump presidency. In February, Mr. Trump fired the office's head, Hampton Dellinger. Mr. Dellinger sued to keep his job, was temporarily reinstated by a court order, began investigating complaints arising from the Trump administration's mass firings of federal workers and was removed again in March after an appeals court ruled in the administration's favor. The Office of Special Counsel dropped its inquiry into the mass firings in April. The office had annoyed Mr. Trump during his first term by pursuing allegations of misconduct, resulting in a finding that 13 senior aides had campaigned for his re-election in violation of the law known as the Hatch Act. Before working for Mr. Trump, Mr. Ingrassia hosted a podcast, 'Right on Point,' with his sister, Olivia Ingrassia. In December 2020, as Mr. Trump was contesting his election loss to Joseph R. Biden Jr., the podcast posted on Twitter, 'Time for @realDonaldTrump to declare martial law and secure his re-election.' Mr. Ingrassia has represented the 'manosphere' influencer Andrew Tate, who is currently facing criminal charges in Romania and Britain, and pushed a false theory that Nikki Haley was ineligible to run for president. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. In a Truth Social post on Thursday night, Mr. Trump called Mr. Ingrassia 'a highly respected attorney, writer and Constitutional Scholar.' Mr. Ingrassia posted on X that as head of the office, 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 workplace, and Revitalize the Rule of Law and Fairness in Hatch Act enforcement.'
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Trump taps Paul Ingrassia to head US Office of Special Counsel
WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his intention to nominate Paul Ingrassia to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Ingrassia for doing "a tremendous job" in his current role as White House liaison for homeland security. "As Special Counsel, my team and I will 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," Ingrassia said in a post on X. Ingrassia, an attorney, briefly served as the White House liaison for the Department of Justice shortly after Trump returned to office in January. However, according to ABC News reporting in February, he was reassigned to the Department of Homeland Security after pushing for the hire of candidates who exhibit "exceptional loyalty" to president. The push resulted in clashes with the Justice Department's chief of staff, ABC News reported. During Trump's first term, he also worked at the White House National Economic Council, according to his LinkedIn. It is unclear what position he held at the council.
Economic Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Who are the White House officials with ties to antisemitic extremists? Here are the big names
Live Events Who is Paul Ingrassia and what are his ties? What role did Ed Martin play in all this? Why is Rachel Cauley under scrutiny? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In an effort to fight antisemitism , the Trump administration has been criticized for hiring government officials who have ties to documented antisemitic extremists NPR reports that three White House officials are connected to individuals and groups with a history of making antisemitic statements. Critics say that such affiliations significantly undermine the public position of the appearances and virtual endorsements are among the connections that cast deep doubt on the administration's anti-antisemitism rhetoric, even amid vigorous public are calling for accountability and transparency in hiring practices. They wonder if antisemitism has become ingrained in his his campaign in 2024, President Trump promised to combat antisemitism . However, the president's detractors wonder if antisemitism is appropriate in the White three Trump officials that have been linked by NPR to antisemitic extremists, include a well-known Holocaust denier and a man who federal prosecutors have called a "Nazi sympathiser."The Trump administration has deported pro-Palestinian student protesters and cut university funding, citing the fight against antisemitism as Jewish Council for Public Affairs' CEO, Amy Spitalnick, contends that the administration is utilising antisemitism as a administration would not be assigning individuals with antisemitic and other extremist affiliations to high positions in the administration if it were sincere about combating antisemitism, Spitalnick stated, as per a report by White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, Paul Ingrassia, has connections to several individuals who are well-known for advocating served on Andrew Tate's legal team in 2023 and frequently praised the contentious "manosphere" Anti-Defamation League alleges that Tate "has leaned heavily into unabashedly antisemitic rhetoric, perpetuating Holocaust revisionism, spreading conspiracy theories about Israel, praising Hamas, performing Nazi salutes and encouraging people to embrace and openly engage in racism."Ingrassia was also spotted at a rally conducted by white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes in Detroit in June 2024.A livestream video captures Ingrassia grinning as he approaches Fuentes directly prior to his had made an online post discussing the need for conservative politics to include dissident voices like Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and Holocaust denier, staged a rally on a Detroit street last summer. "I don't know about you, but calling Donald Trump a racist only makes me like him more," said Nick Ingrassia joined the Trump administration approximately six months later. His connection to an antisemitic extremist is not limited to his current role as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland gave a speech at a January 6 defendants' fundraiser last year. He claimed that although January 6th was a dark day, it wasn't because of an uprising.'Instead, it was a chance for the deep state to finally take off its mask and start bringing charges against and imprisoning innocent Americans like Tim,' Ingrassia Ingrassia is referring to Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a rioter from New Jersey. According to federal prosecutors, he was a Nazi sympathiser who believed Hitler ought to have completed the task. That is what Hale-Cusanelli disputes, as per a report by describes himself as a satirist, but he also wore a Hitler moustache to work and recorded a lengthy tirade accusing Orthodox Jews of spreading 2022, Donald Trump and Fuentes had dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort with Kanye West, also known as Ye. He "knew nothing about" Fuentes, according to Trump. Since then, Ye has recorded a song that exalts Adolf year, Hale-Cusanelli and Ingrassia made several appearances together. Ingrassia now stated that he condemns Hale-Cusanelli's antisemitic statements in response to NPR's added that he spent five to ten minutes at the Fuentes event and that his support for, "certain individuals" stems from a dedication to due process and the First Amendment rather than an also attended a number of events alongside Ed Martin, a Justice Department official and another Donald Trump gave Hale-Cusanelli an award last summer and referred to him as an incredible man and friend."It's one of our goals to make sure that the world, and especially America, hear more from Tim Hale," stated Ed recognised Hale-Cusanelli as an "extraordinary leader" and "extraordinary man" in August 2024 and presented him with an award for advancing "God, family, and country."Martin described Hale-Cusanelli as a "great friend" and an "amazing guy" in podcast later apologised and said he regretted awarding him, claiming he was unaware of the antisemitic have been raised concerning the veracity of that testimony due to Martin's past interactions with Hale-Cusanelli, which include multiple events and podcast Cauley was a member of the Patriot Freedom Project board prior to joining the Trump administration as the director of communications for the White House Office of Management and nonprofit organisation was established in direct reaction to Hale-Cusanelli's arrest on charges on January Patriot Freedom Project's founder spoke in-depth to the overtly white nationalist website Counter-Currents in 2022. The website is explicitly white nationalist and has a whole section on Hitler's importance to their interview seemed to have been taken down from the website after it gained more online Cauley has not issued a public apology for her connections to defended defendants in the Capitol Riots for years. Cauley sat with his supporters during a portion of Hale-Cusanelli's trial for the Capitol riot. She referred to it as a "clown trial' and called Hale-Cusanelli's conviction a "complete miscarriage of justice."Yes, three White House staffers have been linked to far-right extremists with antisemitic far, the administration has not publicly addressed the report or its concerns.
