Top House Democrats Call on Senate Homeland Security Committee to Reject Nomination of Extremist Trump Loyalist to Lead Office of the Special Counsel
Washington, D.C. (June 26, 2025)— Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government reform, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Rand Paul and Ranking Member Gary Peters urging them to reject President Trump’s nomination of Paul Ingrassia, an unqualified former podcast host and extremist, to lead the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC), a role tasked with protecting whistleblowers and ensuring ethics laws are enforced.
“We write with grave concern regarding President Trump’s nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). The OSC plays a critical role in defending federal whistleblowers and ensuring that ethics laws—including the Hatch Act—are enforced without fear or favor across presidential administrations. It is an independent guardian of accountability within the executive branch. Mr. Ingrassia’s loyalty to Donald Trump over the Constitution, his calls for imposing martial law and celebrating violent January 6th insurrectionists, and his close associations with antisemitic extremists all make it clear that he lacks the temperament, experience, and fundamental constitutional fidelity required to lead this office. He is not simply unqualified—his confirmation would pose a direct threat to federal whistleblowers, the credibility of the OSC, and the integrity of our oversight institutions.,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin and Ranking Member Garcia.
Despite President Trump’s claims that Mr. Ingrassia is a “highly respected attorney and Constitutional Scholar,” he graduated from law school just three years ago and was dismissed from his Administration job at the Department of Justice (DOJ) after mere weeks. During his short stint at the DOJ, Mr. Ingrassia described his role as serving as President Trump’s “eyes and ears” and ensuring only candidates with “exceptional loyalty” to President Trump were hired.
In 2020, he called for martial law to overturn a free and fair democratic election, advocated for presidential pardons for January 6th defendants, and even called for $1 million in reparations to those who violently assaulted police officers and attacked the Capitol.
“President Trump wants to appoint Mr. Ingrassia because he knows that this nominee will treat treasonous, secessionist rhetoric as acceptable political discourse; reward extremism instead of condemning it; and work to tear down, not build up, the democratic institutions we have sworn to protect. The ultimate victims of Mr. Ingrassia’s installation as special counsel would be the brave civil servant whistleblowers, the credibility of the federal workforce and civil servants, and the American people they serve. The OSC must not become a tool for authoritarianism, but must remain a bulwark against the corruption, chaos, and cruelty that has become the hallmark of this Administration. As Senators charged with the responsibility of evaluating and confirming President Trump’s nominee to OSC, you must reject this extreme nomination,” concluded the Members.
When whistleblowers come forward, they are speaking truth to power. They do so at great personal risk to bring transparency where secrecy and misconduct might otherwise prevail. If whistleblowers do not feel comfortable reporting wrongdoing to another one of Trump’s cronies, they can submit a whistleblower disclosure here.
Click here to read the letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Rand Paul and Ranking Member Gary Peters.