### Trump Selects Former Far-Right Podcaster to Lead Ethics Watchdog Office

In a surprising move, President Trump has nominated Paul Ingrassia, a former far-right podcast host currently serving as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, to lead the Office of Special Counsel. This independent agency is tasked with investigating public corruption and protecting federal whistle-blowers.

The Office of Special Counsel has seen its share of turmoil during Trump's second presidency. In February, Trump dismissed the then-head of the office, Hampton Dellinger. Dellinger subsequently sued to regain his position, was temporarily reinstated by court order, and commenced investigations into the mass firings of federal employees carried out by Trump's administration. However, he was removed again in March following an appeals court decision in favor of the administration, leading the Office of Special Counsel to discontinue its probe into the mass firings in April.

Relations between Trump and the Office of Special Counsel have been fraught ever since the office pursued allegations of misconduct during his first term. This included findings that 13 senior aides had violated the Hatch Act by campaigning for his re-election.

Paul Ingrassia, now 30, previously hosted a podcast titled "Right on Point" with his sister, Olivia Ingrassia. Notably, in December 2020, as Trump was challenging his election defeat to Joe Biden, the podcast called on Trump to declare martial law to secure his re-election. In addition, Ingrassia has been a representative for the controversial "manosphere" influencer Andrew Tate, who faces criminal charges in Romania and the UK, and has promoted unfounded claims regarding the presidential eligibility of Nikki Haley. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Ingrassia as "a highly respected attorney, writer and Constitutional Scholar." In response, Ingrassia posted on X that he would aim to "restore competence and integrity to the Executive Branch," focusing on eliminating "waste, fraud, and abuse" in federal workplaces and revitalizing "the Rule of Law and Fairness in Hatch Act enforcement."