President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, withdrew from his Senate confirmation fight following reports that he'd sent a series of racist and antisemitic texts.

Republican senators said they wouldn't back the 30-year-old lawyer, as attention over the reported texts reached fever pitch. But Ingrassia is far from alone in his experience, now joining a growing list of former Trump nominees who have bowed out of the running for various agency leadership roles. Several of these occurred after reports of offensive comments and behaviors cost them Republican support.

This year alone, 49 Trump nominees have had their nominations withdrawn, according to Library of Congress data.

Multiple Republican senators said in recent days they wouldn't support Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an ethics division that protects federal workers from whistleblower retaliation. While the Republicans' move was a rare split with the president, it's not the first time GOP lawmakers have resisted one of Trump's nominees.

The first was former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, who withdrew his nomination to become Trump's attorney general before the president took office, amid allegations of sexual misconduct. In the eight days between Trump announcing Gaetz as his pick and the former representative's withdrawal in November 2024, Republicans spoke up, saying they would not be willing to support Gaetz's bid to become the country's top law enforcement official.

Another recent Trump nominee to back out was EJ Antoni, a conservative economist who was picked to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after the president fired the agency's head and accused her without evidence of manipulating the bureau's figures. The Trump administration withdrew its nomination of Antoni Sep. 30 after losing Republican support.

He came under intense scrutiny over his qualifications, and also attracted Democratic condemnation after reports that he was at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots and made derogatory comments on social media about former Vice President Kamala Harris.

In May, Trump announced he was pulling Ed Martin's nomination for U.S. attorney for Washington, DC, in the face of Republican opposition over his support for Jan. 6 rioters.

A few months prior, in March, Trump withdrew his nominee to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, David Weldon, who has a history of vaccine skepticism and has pushed a debunked link between the measles vaccine and autism. A source familiar with the discussions told USA TODAY that Trump pulled the nomination because Weldon did not have the votes to be confirmed.

Trump abruptly reversed his pick for the next U.S. surgeon general on March 13, tapping a physician and wellness advocate who is close to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the role. He made the announcement just one day before the scheduled Senate confirmation hearing for his first pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.

Several nominees who have faced intense controversy have made it over the finish line. Most prominently is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed in January despite allegations of sexual assault, public drinking and intoxication and abusive treatment of women.

The Senate also confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee Health and Human Services despite Republican concerns over his stance on vaccinations.

This story has been updated.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump has pulled dozens of nominees, several due to controversy. Ingrassia is the latest.

Reporting by Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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