'No idea who he is': Groups cited by Trump admin deny backing dubious nominee
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
July 09, 2025
Prominent Jewish groups are denying the Trump administration's claims they support an inexperienced government lawyer with "ties to a Holocaust denier" to lead the Office of Special Counsel, according to CNN.
The administration's pick to head the government's "top watchdog group," 30-year-old Paul Ingrassia, has just six months of government experience, and a "history of racist invective and conspiratorial rants." Ingrassia has also made claims "that straight White men were the most intelligent demographic group," the report said.
"His nomination has drawn scrutiny over his past promotion of conspiracy theories and tweets from his podcast that included calls for martial law following Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss and harsh anti-Israel rhetoric aimed at the GOP," wrote Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck with CNN's Kfile.
"Ingrassia has also been scrutinized for his ties to Nick Fuentes, a noted White nationalist and Holocaust denier, as well as his defense of Fuentes’ ability to post on social media."
When CNN asked the administration to defend their nominee, "an unnamed senior administration official" said in a statement:
"[Ingrassia] has the support of many Jewish groups and has been a steadfast advocate for Jewish causes and personnel during his time working for the Trump administration."
When asked to name the groups, "the administration initially named just two: the Zionist Organization of America, and a group they called 'The Holocaust Council' — of which no group by that name could be found."
A spokesperson for Morton Klein, "the president of the first group listed," told CNN "that he had never heard of Ingrassia and had not endorsed his nomination."
The administration added the Israel Heritage Foundation to its list of endorsements, but executive director Rabbi David Katz told CNN that wasn't true.
“It doesn’t make sense, I have no idea who he is," Katz told CNN.