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A Trump-nominee said he has a ‘Nazi streak.’ Will he still get a key administration role?
Another nominee set to be promoted in President Donald Trump’s administration is facing scrutiny after past remarks expressing admiration for Nazis surfaced ahead of his confirmation hearing.
Several top Republican senators have already pledged to block the nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, following revelations of racist and antisemitic comments he made over text message. The office enforces the Hatch Act, which bans federal employees from taking part in certain political activities and protects government whistleblowers.
Ingrassia already holds a position in the administration, serving as a White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.
According to a Politico report, Ingrassia wrote in May 2024 that he has “a Nazi streak from time to time” in a chat of six GOP operatives and influencers. The comment came after another chat participant joked that Ingrassia “belongs in the Hitler Youth with Obergruppenführer Steve Bannon” — portraying the Republican strategist instrumental in Trump’s 2016 victory, who remains influential within the MAGA movement, as having a senior Nazi paramilitary rank.
Another participant also suggested that Ingrassia do a joint show with Nick Fuentes, an avowed white nationalist and Holocaust denier, on Rumble, a video platform that has amplified far-right antisemitism and Holocaust denial. Fuentes maintains an active Rumble page featuring his live shows, which are filled with antisemitic and anti-Israel content.
“Lmao,” Ingrassia replied.
In April 2023, Ingrassia published a blog post titled “Free Nick Fuentes,” urging Elon Musk to reinstate Fuentes’ X account after he was banned in 2021 for repeated violations of the platform’s content rules. Ingrassia was also reportedly in attendance at a 2024 rally at which Fuentes declared, “Down with Israel.”
Ingrassia, who also faces allegations of sexual harassment, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday as part of his confirmation process. Last month, a group of 13 Jewish organizations sent a letter to the committee urging members to scrutinize Ingrassia’s “support for extremist views and individuals” and expressing doubt about his qualifications.
“He’s not going to pass,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday.
Ingrassia’s attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, initially dismissed the texts as satire meant to mock liberals who call Trump supporters Nazis. “In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community,” he told Politico, “because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi.”
Paltzik later suggested, without evidence, that the messages might have been AI-generated or doctored to damage Ingrassia’s reputation.
Ingrassia is the latest in a line of Trump administration appointees who have been scrutinized for remarks offensive to Jews and other minorities. Trump withdrew the nominations of some of his candidates amid outrage.
It also follows recent incidents of high-profile right-wing antisemitism, including the discovery of a Republican staffer displaying a swastika at his desk on Capitol Hill and the leak of a Telegram chat involving Young Republican activists trading antisemitic rhetoric, including informal references to Hitler and the Holocaust.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York and co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, called on the White House to pull Ingrassia’s nomination. “As I’ve said many times: if President Trump were truly serious about combating antisemitism, he would start with his own administration,” Nadler wrote on X.
The post A Trump-nominee said he has a ‘Nazi streak.’ Will he still get a key administration role? appeared first on The Forward.
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Trump Curious Why Iran Has Not ‘Capitulated’ Amid US Military Buildup, Says Witkoff
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Jan. 6, 2026. Photo: Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump is curious as to why Iran has not yet “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear program, as Washington builds up its military capability in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated,’ because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious as to why they haven’t… I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated,’ but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff said during an interview on Saturday with Fox News’ “My View with Lara Trump,” hosted by the president’s daughter-in-law.
“Why, under this pressure, with the amount of seapower and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘We profess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do’? And yet it’s sort of hard to get them to that place.”
Trump has ordered a huge buildup of forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air attack on Iran. Iran has threatened to strike US bases if it is attacked.
IRAN DENIES SEEKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
The United States wants Iran to give up enriched uranium which Washington says can potentially be used to make a bomb, as well as stop supporting terrorists in the Middle East and accept limits to its missile program.
Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful but it is willing to accept some curbs on it in return for the lifting of financial sanctions. It rejects tying this to other issues such as missiles and support for armed groups.
“They’ve been enriching well beyond the number that you need for civil nuclear. It’s up to 60 percent [fissile purity],” Witkoff said. “They’re probably a week away from having industrial, industrial-grade bomb-making material, and that’s really dangerous.”
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Iran and the United States still have differing views over sanctions relief in talks.
Witkoff also said he has met at Trump’s direction with Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah ousted in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. He did not provide further details of the meeting.
Pahlavi, who lives in exile, served as a rallying figure for some of Iran’s opposition during anti-government demonstrations last month in which thousands of people are believed to have been killed, the worst domestic unrest since the revolution era.
Earlier in February, Pahlavi said US military intervention in Iran could save lives, and urged Washington not to spend too long negotiating with Tehran’s clerical rulers on a nuclear deal.
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US-Iran Talks Expected Friday if Iran Sends Nuclear Proposal Soon, Axios Reports
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
United States negotiators are ready to hold another round of talks with Iran on Friday in Geneva if they receive a detailed Iranian proposal for a nuclear deal in the next 48 hours, Axios reported on Sunday, citing a senior US official.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
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Khamenei Designates Larijani to Lead Iran’s Affairs During Protests, Military Threats
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Aziz Taher
i24 News – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly assigned significant authority to former Revolutionary Guards commander and longtime political figure Ali Larijani in response to rising US and Israeli military threats, as well as nationwide unrest, according to a report by The New York Times.
The newspaper cites Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards, and former diplomats, noting that Khamenei has issued detailed instructions on succession and emergency decision-making should he be targeted in a potential strike.
Larijani, currently a top national security official, has been tasked with managing state affairs, overseeing the crackdown on protests, coordinating sensitive nuclear discussions with Washington, and liaising with allied nations including Russia, Qatar, and Oman.
“Larijani has been entrusted with responsibilities that cover both domestic security and international relations, effectively acting as Khamenei’s right-hand man during this period of heightened tension,” the report states.
Officials say Khamenei has prepared multiple layers of succession for key political and military positions and delegated powers to a close circle of confidants. While Larijani is not considered a likely successor to the Supreme Leader due to insufficient religious credentials, he is described as one of the regime’s most trusted crisis managers.
Iran has reportedly placed its armed forces on high alert, deployed missile systems near Iraq and in the Persian Gulf, and intensified military exercises. Special forces, intelligence units, and Basij militia battalions are prepared to deploy to major cities to suppress unrest and monitor suspected foreign operatives if conflict escalates.
The move comes amid continued diplomatic engagement over Tehran’s nuclear program. Despite ongoing negotiations, officials say Iran is operating under the assumption that a U.S. military strike is “inevitable and imminent.”
According to the report, Larijani tops the list of emergency successors, followed by Parliament Speaker General Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with former president Hassan Rouhani also named as a potential fallback in extraordinary circumstances.