Thune says embattled Trump nominee for Office of Special Counsel doesn't have votes for confirmation

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says that President Trump's embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel is "not going to pass."

Nominee Paul Ingrassia's path toward getting the post blew up after the publication of racist text messages that were allegedly sent by him to a group chat. 

The texts allegedly included Ingrassia saying he has “a Nazi streak,” and arguing that Martin Luther King Jr. Day “should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”

Ingrassia is set to appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing, with at least one Republican senator on the panel already planning to vote against advancing his nomination, according to NN reported. 

The process for getting the administration post that requires Senate confirmation is typically the appointment and the nominee's resume is reviewed by a chamber committee and nominees appear before the committee in a hearing to answer related questions. If committee members then "recommend" the nominee's appointment advance in the process, the full Senate votes in favor of it. 

“No, I do not support him,” committee member Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Monday. If all the Democrats on the committee oppose Ingrassia, and Scott joins them, then his nomination would be blocked.

Thune told reporters when asked if the White House should pull Ingrassia’s nomination, “I hope so,” and chuckled before adding, “He’s not going to pass.”

Committee Chairman GOP Sen. Rand Paul said regarding Ingrassia’s nomination, “I think that ultimately, there are a lot of questions on the nomination that the White House has to make a determination whether they think his nomination can get through, and we’re going to wait and hear from them what their thoughts are, whether they’ve talked to all the Republican members, and whether they think they have the votes.”

Ingrassia’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, did not appear to clarify to POLITICO, which broke the text story, whether the texts were "authentic" and suggested they could be satire or AI-generated. 

“Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis,’” he said. “In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi.”

Paltzik also said, “In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages.”