Report on Trump nominee's "Nazi streak" text threatens Senate confirmation

President Trump's nominee to head the Office of Special Counsel is in jeopardy after Politico reported he told fellow Republicans in a text chain that he has a "Nazi streak" and that Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell."Why it matters: If enough Senate Republicans join Democrats in opposing Paul Ingrassia's embattled nomination, it could force Trump to withdraw it or face the prospect of an embarrassing defeat. Ingrassia has a confirmation hearing scheduled Thursday.Driving the news: Several Republicans — including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) — have signaled they won't support Ingrassia or don't see him being confirmed, multiple outlets reported.He is scheduled to appear Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, which holds an 8-7 GOP majority.Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a member of the panel, told reporters Monday that he did not support Ingrassia, per The New York Times. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who also sits on the committee, reportedly called on the White House to pull his nomination.The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.Catch up quick: Politico also reported that Ingrassia used an Italian slur for Black people in a text chain with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers.At one point, a participant told him he was "coming across as a white nationalist which is beneficial to nobody," to which Ingrassia replied that "defending our founding isn't 'white nationalist.'"He later wrote, "We should celebrate white men and western civilization and I will never back down from that."What they're saying: Ingrassia's lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said in a statement shared with Axios that "[e]ven if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters 'Nazis.'"He added that Ingrassia has "incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi."Yes, but: Ingrassia has ties to figures known for platforming antisemitism and bigotry, including self-proclaimed "misogynist" Andrew Tate. He has advocated for Nick Fuentes and other "dissident voices" to be given a space in conservative politics.Zoom out: House Democrats called for Ingrassia's "immediate dismissal" in a Monday letter to the president, saying he is "biased and incapable of fairly and even-handedly enforcing the law."Beyond his "total lack of qualifications," Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) cited a past Politico report that Ingrassia had been accused of sexual harassment by a lower-ranking female colleague, who later withdrew her complaint, fearing retaliation.Paltzik said in a statement that Ingrassia had "never harassed any coworkers — female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise — in connection with any employment."The big picture: Trump nominated Ingrassia for the post after the administration fired Hampton Dellinger, the former head of the independent watchdog agency that investigates federal workers' whistleblower reports.The American Federation of Government Employees has warned Ingrassia's confirmation would threaten protections for civil servants, citing his public comments referring to them as "parasites" and "bugmen."Go deeper: Trump nominees face new round of Senate GOP resistance

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