POLITICO: 

Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel, a day after POLITICO reported a slew of inflammatory texts he made to fellow Republicans in a group chat, according to the messages.

Ingrassia was set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday. But several Republican senators came out against the 30-year-old lawyer, dooming his bid….

On Monday, POLITICO reported that Ingrassia made a number of offensive remarks in a text message chain and said he had a “Nazi streak,” according to the messages. Discussing civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., he told the group in January 2024, “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs,” the texts showed.

Using an Italian slur for Black people, Ingrassia wrote in December 2023, per the text: “No moulignon holidays … From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth,” then added: “Every single one needs to be eviscerated.”

The next month, Ingrassia wrote of former Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, according to the message: “Never trust a chinaman or Indian” and then added: “NEVER.” Ramaswamy did not respond to a request for comment.

NYT: 

The nomination of Paul Ingrassia, President Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, appeared to be in jeopardy on Monday night after Politico reported that he had sent a series of racist text messages.

At least four Republican senators, including the Senate majority leader, Senator John Thune of South Dakota, have signaled that they will oppose his nomination to the office, which is a traditionally independent corruption-fighting agency that safeguards federal whistle-blowers and enforces some ethics laws.