Trump rising star accused of slimy Ritz-Carlton ploy to force female aide to share his room

President Donald Trump’s top man in the Department of Homeland Security was investigated for sexually harassing a lower-ranking female colleague after he canceled her hotel room so they would be forced to share a room together.

Politico reported on Thursday night that White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, Paul Ingrassia faced a probe over a July business trip with other DHS staffers to Orlando, Florida.

Upon arriving at the front desk Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, an unnamed lower-ranking female colleague was informed she did not have a room. Ingrassia then told the staffer she would be staying with him, according to Politico who cited five administration officials familiar with the event.

The woman later learned that Ingrassia, 30, had personally stepped in to have her hotel room canceled ahead of their arrival so she would have to stay in his room, Politico reports. At first, she declined Ingrassia’s offer, but eventually relented to avoid causing a public scene.

The pair, who knew each other before working for the Trump administration, slept in separate beds in the same hotel room for the remainder of the trip.

Ingrassia’s attorney claims his client did not make any last minute changes to the hotel reservations and denied any wrongdoing. Regardless, the two did end up sharing a room, resulting in an official investigation that has rocked the upper echelons of the Trump administration.

Following the Florida debacle, White House Personnel Director Sergio Gor revoked Ingrassia’s federal employee badge and access to DHS headquarters. However, he is now back to working inside the building.

White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, Paul Ingrassia, was investigated for sexual harassment of a lower-ranking female DHS staffer during a July business trip to Orlando, Florida

The incident reportedly occurred at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando

Ingrassia, a longtime Trump loyalist and conservative activist, is the president’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel

The female colleague later filed a human resources complaint against Ingrassia, but retracted it days later out of fear of retaliation, three administration officials told Politico.

However, the female complained to other administration that INgrassia was making her feel uncomfortable following the incident and it was preventing her from doing her job.

‘Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers — female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise — in connection with any employment,’ Ingrassia’s attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, told Politico.

The attorney acknowledged that Ingrassia and the woman shared a hotel room, but noted that “no party engaged in inappropriate behavior.’

The woman later told the outlet that she ‘never felt uncomfortable’ regarding Ingrassia’s actions and denied making an HR complaint.

‘A colleague misjudged the situation and made claims of alleged harassment that are not true,’ the woman said in a statement. ‘There was no wrongdoing.’

Politico’s report notes that a career official filed the first complaint against Ingrassia regarding the incident, but the woman later wrote her own complaint before retracting it. Also included in her HR complaint was a request that Ingrassia speak to her in a more professional manner.

Ingrassia, a longtime Trump loyalist and conservative activist, is the president’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. If his nomination goes through, Ingrassia would control the office responsible for federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination claims.

Throughout the nomination process, Republican senators have raised concern about Ingrassia’s lack of experience and partisan background.

Ingrassia is in charge of managing political appointees within Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security

In his current role as White House liaisons for Homeland Security, Ingrassia manages the department’s political appointees as well as controls the greenlight for hiring additional personnel. Ingrassia is the link between the White House Presidential Personnel Office and DHS.

Initially, Ingrassia was the White House liaison in the Department of Justice, but was moved out of the role following an ABC report stating he told DOJ appointees they had to be loyal to Trump.