Paul J. Ingrassia, nominee to head the Office of Special Counsel.
Source: EDS
President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, has been accused of sexual harassment, Politico reported.
Ingrassia, who is currently the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, was investigated in connection with an incident in late July in which he told a lower-ranking colleague on a business trip that she would be sharing a hotel room with him, Politico reported Thursday. The media cited five anonymous administrative officials.
The woman “later discovered that Ingrassia had made arrangements in advance to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him,” three officials said, according to Politico.
She initially “protested” the arrangement, but relented in order to avoid causing a scene around other colleagues, Politico officials reported. The two slept in separate beds in the room, according to Politico.
In a letter to Politico, the lawyer for Ingrassia, 30, denied the harassment allegations.
The outlet did not name the woman, but said she was appointed by Trump,
“Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any co-worker – female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise – in the context of employment,” attorney Edward Paltzik wrote.
Paltzik said that although the two men shared a hotel room during the trip, Ingrassia did not cancel the woman’s reservation and “neither party engaged in any inappropriate behavior.”
In a separate letter to CNBC, Paltzik said Ingrassia “did not commit any wrongdoing in connection with the reported matters.”
The woman filed a human resources complaint against him, but retracted it days later for fear of retaliation, three officials told Politico.
An HR investigation into Ingrassia cleared him, Paltzik and a DHS spokesperson told Politico.
The woman told Politico in a statement that she “never felt uncomfortable” about Ingrassia’s behavior and never filed a complaint.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on Politico’s report.
Trump named Ingrassia to head the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that oversees whistleblower complaints and investigates federal employees.
The appointment came after Trump fired Hampton Dellinger, an appointee of President Joe Biden. Dellinger reportedly opposed federal employee layoffs ordered by Trump’s so-called Department of Government Effectiveness. Dellinger challenged his dismissal in a lawsuit, but later dropped the suit.
In his role as White House liaison, Ingrassia has pushed for the hiring of Justice Department candidates who show “exceptional loyalty” to Trump, ABC News reported earlier.
Ingrassia’s chances of being confirmed to lead the OSC appeared to falter in July, when Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he would not support Trump’s choice.
Read Politico’s full report here.
