Trump Nominates Paul Ingrassia to Lead Office of Special Counsel

On May 29, 2025 President Trump nominated 30-year-old White House aide Paul Ingrassia, a 2022 law school graduate with under a year as a licensed attorney, to lead the Office of Special Counsel, the agency responsible for investigating public corruption and protecting federal whistleblowers. The nomination followed Trump's earlier removal of the previous special counsel, Hampton Dellinger.

Ingrassia had little law-enforcement or ethics background but a strong record of political loyalty, having previously written for the Daily Caller and hosted a podcast. Reporting also surfaced Ingrassia's past association with and advocacy for extremist figures, including calling for a white-nationalist activist's reinstatement to social media.

Critics said installing an inexperienced, ideologically aligned loyalist atop the government's chief ethics-enforcement office undermined its independence by design. The White House defended the pick as a generational reset. Ingrassia's nomination was ultimately withdrawn in October 2025 after further reporting on offensive remarks he had made.