Trump nominee for special counsel texted that MLK Day should be in ‘hell’ and used slur against Black people

“Blacks behave that way because that’s their natural state … You can’t change them,” wrote Paul Ingrassia.

The nomination of President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has imploded after leaked racist text messages he sent were made public.

Paul Ingrassia said the federal holiday dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should be in “hell” and that it was Black people’s “natural state” to be victims, among other racist and inflammatory remarks, according to a bombshell investigation published by Politico.

In a now-dissolved group chat with Republican operatives and influencers, Ingrassia disparaged MLK Day and other Black American holidays.

“MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs,” Ingrassia wrote in January 2024.

A month before that message, Ingrassia wrote in the same chat, “No moulignon holidays,” referring to an Italian slur for Black people. The text continued, “From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth…Every single one needs to be eviscerated.”

The 30-year-old staffer, who currently works as a White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, also referred to the continent of Africa as a “s–thole”–a term allegedly used by President Trump during his first term when referring to African countries and Haiti.

“Proof: all of Africa is a shithole, and will always be that way,” Ingrassia wrote in February 2024.

During a discussion about why some Republicans believed Democrats made Black people into victims, Ingrassia replied: “Blacks behave that way because that’s their natural state … You can’t change them.”

He also claimed to have “a Nazi streak.”

An attorney for Ingrassia told Politico, “We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages,” suggesting that they could have been doctored or “lacking critical context.”

Ingrassia is facing a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday to lead the Special Counsel’s office, an independent agency that investigates federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination claims.

In addition to the emergence of the racist text messages, Ingrassia is facing an internal investigation over alleged sexual harassment. He’s also already faced controversy for statements he made as a far-right podcast and commentator before working in the Trump administration. Most notably, he called for the Jan. 6 insurrection to be declared a national holiday to honor the “peaceful protest against a great injustice affecting our electoral system.”

Ingrassia’s nomination is facing headwinds. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he did not have enough votes to be confirmed.

The racist text messages from Ingrassia come after a group chat of young Republican leaders was exposed for racist, sexist, homophobic, and violent text exchanges.