US President Donald Trump's pick to lead an office charged with protecting federal whistleblowers appears to be in jeopardy after Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hoped the White House would withdraw the nomination.

The growing opposition to Paul Ingrassia comes after a Politico report of a text chat that showed him saying the Martin Luther King Jr holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell."

Ingrassia also described himself in the chat as having "a Nazi streak" at times.

"He's not going to pass," Thune told reporters.

Two Republicans who serve on the committee with jurisdiction over the nomination for the Office of Special Counsel job, Senators Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said they do not support Ingrassia's confirmation.

"I'm a n

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