The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board told young MAGA fans on Tuesday that the failure of the Trump administration to confirm right-wing podcaster Paul Ingrassia to the Office of the Special Counsel should serve as a "potent" warning for those who seek to emulate the extreme behavior he displayed.
On Monday, Politico reported on a series of leaked text messages of Ingrassia's, where he denounced the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and said he had "a bit of a Nazi streak" in him. Ingrassia's lawyers have denied the authenticity of the texts.
Ingrassia faced a steep confirmation process in Congress because of his history of making incendiary statements. Even so, the process seemed to give Republicans a "useful" opportunity to denounce that kind of behavior within the party, according to the editorial.
"At least four Republican Senators have come out against confirming Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, after the publication of odious text messages he apparently sent," the editorial board wrote. "Beyond the failure of vetting, it would be useful if President Trump made clear that this kind of garbage isn’t wanted in his MAGA political movement."
"The demise of Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination would show that the GOP won’t tolerate his brand of extremist political behavior and rhetoric," the editorial continued. "It could also be a potent lesson for MAGA youth in what not to do."