(Washington) The choice of Donald Trump to head the American agency responsible for ethics issues in the public service announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing his candidacy, after the broadcast in the press of racist messages in which he confided in particular to having “a Nazi tendency”.
The American media Politico published on Monday these messages sent according to it by Paul Ingrassia, who currently occupies the position of White House liaison officer for the Department of Homeland Security, on a private group: he notably claims to have “a Nazi tendency” and uses the term “moulignon”, a racist insult of Italian-American slang aimed at black people.
“Unfortunately, I do not have a sufficient number of Republican votes at the moment,” explained Paul Ingrassia on X, assuring that he would therefore not attend the confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday before a Senate committee.
The Republican Party, President Donald Trump’s camp, has a narrow majority in the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the agency for which Paul Ingrassia was a candidate, is responsible for protecting public officials from various abusive practices, including discrimination.
Among the messages broadcast by Politico was a diatribe against the holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, hero of the fight against racial segregation. This day “should be removed and thrown into the seventh circle of hell, where it belongs,” wrote Paul Ingrassia in January 2024, according to Politico.
Questioned by the media, Paul Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, mentioned, without confirming their authenticity, messages “taken out of context” and marked with “self-deprecation and satirical humor.”
