Trump nominates official with ties to antisemitic extremists : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3091x4000+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F50%2Fa5%2Fb430435a4bb69bcff165a5d272ae%2Fpaul-ingrassia-official-portrait.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3091x4000+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F50%2Fa5%2Fb430435a4bb69bcff165a5d272ae%2Fpaul-ingrassia-official-portrait.jpg" class="img" alt="Paul Ingrassia Official Portrait (DHS Photo by )" fetchpriority="high"/> Paul Ingrassia, who's presently serving because the White Home liaison to the Division of Homeland Safety, has been nominated to the lead the U.S. Workplace of Particular Counsel. Tia Dufour/U.S. Division of Homeland Safety disguise caption

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Tia Dufour/U.S. Division of Homeland Safety President Trump has nominated 30-year-old conservative lawyer Paul Ingrassia, to steer the U.S. Workplace of Particular Counsel, a authorities ethics workplace, regardless of Ingrassia's ties to a number of antisemitic extremists.

If confirmed by the Senate, Ingrassia would oversee the company that enforces the Hatch Act, which limits authorities workers from partaking in sure partisan political actions, and gives protections to whistleblowers. (The company is separate and distinct from particular counsels appointed by the Division of Justice, akin to Robert Mueller or Jack Smith, who examine delicate instances.)

As NPR reported earlier this month, Jewish civil rights leaders have raised considerations about Ingrassia's ties to extremists, significantly in mild of the administration's said dedication to combating antisemitism. The Trump Administration not too long ago promoted Kingsley Wilson to the function of Pentagon press secretary over the objection of the American Jewish Committee, which stated Wilson was "unfit" for presidency service, as a result of she shared "antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted proper out of the neo-Nazi playbook." The White Home has justified the tried deportation of worldwide college students and the withholding of billions of {dollars} in funding to universities as elements of a plan to fight antisemitic hate.

"Appointing somebody to a senior administration function regardless of their documented assist for antisemites significantly conflicts with and undermines ongoing efforts to fight antisemitism at this important second," the Anti-Defamation League stated in an announcement in response to Ingrassia's nomination.

In distinction to prior leaders of the Workplace of Particular Counsel, who sometimes had years of authorized expertise, Ingrassia has solely briefly labored as a lawyer. He graduated from Cornell Legislation Faculty in 2022 and have become a registered legal professional in New York lower than a 12 months in the past, in July 2024. He caught the attention of the president by his pro-Trump weblog posts throughout the 2024 presidential marketing campaign and joined the administration in January 2025.

"Paul is a extremely revered legal professional, author, and Constitutional Scholar, who has carried out an incredible job serving as my White Home Liaison for Homeland Safety," Trump posted on his social media platform, Reality Social. "Paul holds levels from each Cornell Legislation Faculty and Fordham College, the place he majored in Arithmetic and Economics, graduating close to the highest of his class. Congratulations Paul!"

The White Home didn't reply to NPR's request for remark about Ingrassia's documented ties to antisemitic extremists.

Lately, Ingrassia labored on the authorized staff for Andrew Tate, the "manosphere" influencer and self-described "misogynist", who has confronted allegations of rape and human trafficking in each the UK and Romania — prices Tate denies. In line with the Anti-Defamation League, Tate has additionally promoted "Holocaust revisionism" and antisemitism, and makes use of "Jew" as an insult on social media.

Ingrassia has not solely assisted in Tate's authorized protection, but additionally praised him as an "extraordinary man" and "the embodiment of the traditional ultimate of excellence," who has been unjustly focused by "the worldwide elites."

Till not too long ago, Ingrassia's Instagram account featured a pinned photograph of him posing with Tate. (The photograph stays on his Instagram account, however is not pinned to the highest of his web page.)

Ingrassia's ties to antisemitic extremists prolong past Tate.

In June 2024, Ingrassia appeared within the crowd at an impromptu rally for Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes after Fuentes was ejected from a gathering of the younger conservative group Turning Level USA.

Ingrassia condemned Turning Level for eradicating Fuentes from their convention, calling it an "terrible resolution."

"Conservatives ought to all the time uphold the First Modification and permit for dissident voices," Ingrassia posted on X.

On the Fuentes rally, supporters chanted "down with Israel," and Fuentes advised the group, "calling Donald Trump a racist solely makes me like him extra."

Ingrassia additionally wrote a Substack submit calling on X to take away its ban on Fuentes for selling hate speech. (Fuentes' account was later restored.)

Ingrassia has additionally attended occasions supporting defendants charged in reference to the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, together with a defendant with a historical past of maximum antisemitic and racist rhetoric who gave himself a "Hitler mustache."

In response to NPR's questions earlier this month, Ingrassia stated in an e-mail, "This narrative you are attempting to connect to me that I am some kind of extremist is missing in all credibility."

Ingrassia claimed that he inadvertently attended Fuentes' rally.

"I had no data of who organized the occasion, noticed for 5-10 minutes, then left," he wrote to NPR. He didn't deal with Fuentes' well-documented historical past of antisemitism and racism.

Ingrassia additionally averted questions on Tate's antisemitic rhetoric. He did denounce the "hateful or incendiary" remarks of the Jan. 6 defendant, insisting "my advocacy for J6ers just isn't primarily based on any explicit comment, however on the precept that each one Individuals are entitled to due course of and free speech."

Some conservative commentators have additionally criticized Ingrassia's social media posts about Israel.

Shortly after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 individuals, Ingrassia posted, "I believe we might all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, very similar to Ukraine earlier than it, and BLM earlier than that, and covid/vaccine earlier than that, was one more psyop." (The time period "psyop" is brief for "psychological operation.")

Regardless of Ingrassia's extremist ties, Leo Terrell, the chief of the Trump administration's antisemitism process pressure, praised Ingrassia's nomination to steer the Workplace of Particular Counsel.

"Excellent Alternative!" Terrell wrote.

Terrell himself has confronted criticism for sharing a social media submit by a distinguished white supremacist that stated, "Trump has the flexibility to revoke somebody's Jew card."