NCJW Demands White House Pulls Ingrassia Nomination for Office of Special Counsel

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) — the nation’s leading Jewish feminist civil rights organization, representing 250,000 changemakers across the United States and Israel — is once again raising the alarm on Paul Ingrassia, nominee for the Office of Special Counsel, and is calling on President Trump to withdraw the nomination.

NCJW has opposed Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination since day one because of his antisemitic, anti-immigrant, and racist ideologies, along with his associations with prominent white nationalists, misogynists, and alleged sex traffickers — including by partnering with Jewish Council for Public Affairs to organize national Jewish groups in a September 30 letter expressing concerns about his nomination.

Yesterday, POLITICO reported on Mr. Ingrassia’s private text messages, in which he referred to himself as having “a Nazi streak in me from time to time,” telling his colleagues that they should “never trust a chinaman or Indian,” and used racial slurs in reference to Black Americans.

In the wake of these revelations, Darcy Hirsh, vice president of government relations and advocacy at NCJW, released the following statement:

“Yesterday’s revelations on Mr. Ingrassia’s personal views are further proof of what we already knew — further disqualifying him from serving to lead the office that is tasked with protecting our federal employees. His background and actions, further illuminated by these texts, are antithetical to the vision of a pluralistic and welcoming democracy that any federal official should seek to uphold. 

“As we said in our letter, Mr. Ingrassia has expressed disdain for the very federal workforce he would be tasked with protecting. Moreover, his public statements and private text messages prove that he will not be the impartial arbiter his potential job requires. 

“While we’re grateful to those senators who have expressed their opposition to Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination, we should never have gotten to this point. As we wrote in our letter to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last month, Mr. Ingrassia’s associations with racists, white nationalists, antisemites, misogynists, and alleged sex traffickers and rapists should have been disqualifying for any White House from even nominating him. 

“As Jewish advocates, we know that Mr. Ingrassia will not protect the rights, safety, or dignity of the Jewish community — or of any targeted community. With everything we know about him and his views, Mr. Ingrassia cannot be allowed to lead any office in our government — let alone one tasked with investigating claims of discrimination, hate, and more within our federal workforce. President Trump and his team must withdraw Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination immediately and provide the Senate a qualified, unbiased individual to lead this important office.”

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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 133-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 48 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to effect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.