President Trump has appointed 30-year-old conservative lawyer Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel. Just a few weeks ago, he ended up in the spotlight because of a lengthy NPR report about his ties to some anti-Semitic extremists.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ingrassia would oversee the agency that enforces the Hatch Act, which limits the engagement of public employees in certain partisan political activities, and provides protection for whistleblowers, those individuals who report or blow the whistle on wrongdoing.
Jewish civil rights leaders have expressed concern about Ingrassia’s ties to extremists, particularly in light of the administration’s commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.
“Appointing someone to a senior administration role despite their documented support for antisemites seriously conflicts with, and undermines, ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism at this critical moment,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement in response to Ingrassia’s nomination.
Unlike previous leaders of the Office of Special Counsel, who typically had years of legal experience, Ingrassia worked as a lawyer for only a short time. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022 and was admitted to the New York Bar less than a year ago, in July 2024. He caught Trump’s attention through his pro-MAGA social posts during the last campaign, and joined the administration in January 2025.
“Paul is a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar, who has done a tremendous job serving as my White House Liaison for Homeland Security,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social. “He holds degrees from both Cornell Law School and Fordham University, where he majored in Mathematics and Economics, graduating near the top of his class. Congratulations Paul!”.
As NPR reported, in the recent past Ingrassia has repeatedly praised controversial influencer Andrew Tate and worked with his legal team. Romanian authorities have charged Tate with human trafficking.
The Anti-Defamation League explained that Tate has heavily adhered to blatantly anti-Semitic rhetoric, perpetuating Holocaust revisionism, spreading conspiracy theories about Israel, praising Hamas, performing Nazi salutes and encouraging people to embrace racism. Ingrassia was also seen at a rally in Detroit in June 2024 led by Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Over the years, the young lawyer has also defended Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, one of the men convicted of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Hill assault. Federal prosecutors described Hale-Cusanelli as a “Nazi sympathizer” who once worked at a naval weapons base wearing a “Hitler mustache.”
However, the White House defended Ingrassia this week, reporting: “”The eleventh-hour smear campaign will not deter the President from supporting this nomination”.
