Before a top Trump-appointed counterterrorism official was ousted for allegedly appearing on a sugar daddy website, she had filed a sexual harassment complaint against her superior—and all he got was a promotion.
Julia Varvaro, the former Department of Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism, was placed on administrative leave on April 22 after the Daily Mail reported that she had a profile on Seeking.com—a site often used by young singles seeking older, wealthier partners to fund their lifestyles.
The agency’s swift action against the 29-year-old stands in stark contrast to its response months earlier when she accused her then-superior, Paul Ingrassia, of sexual harassment.
Varvaro filed a human resources complaint against Ingrassia—then the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security—last year. Days later, she rescinded it out of fear.
In October, after Donald Trump nominated the 30-year-old to lead the Office of Special Counsel—which handles workplace harassment and discrimination claims—her allegations were leaked. Sources have now revealed to the Daily Beast that this woman was, in fact, the embattled Varvaro.
According to the complaint obtained by Politico, Ingrassia allegedly canceled a reservation for Varvaro’s hotel room during a work trip to Florida—forcing her to share one with him instead.
According to multiple administration officials who spoke to Politico, Varvaro protested but ultimately agreed to sharing a hotel room, as she didn’t want to make a scene in front of colleagues.
“The sleazy smears in this fake news story are false clickbait dangled by a failing outlet desperate to concoct a phony scandal from a nothingburger story,” Ingrassia’s attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said in a statement provided to the Beast. “These fabrications are already the subject of Mr. Ingrassia’s powerhouse lawsuit against Politico.”’
What exactly transpired that night at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando—where a two-bedroom suite can run north of $2,000—is unclear. Varvaro later told multiple people that Ingrassia’s conduct was interfering with her ability to do her job, Politico reported.
When allegations about Ingrassia resurfaced months later, he clung to his nomination—at first. He ultimately withdrew when leaked group chat messages surfaced in which he allegedly used racial slurs and said he had a “Nazi streak.”
“I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it,” Ingrassia wrote to a group chat of Republicans. In other messages, he allegedly wrote: “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”
And, during a discussion on why some Republicans believe Democrats portray Black Americans as victims, he allegedly wrote: “Blacks behave that way because that’s their natural state … You can’t change them.”
Despite his damning language, Ingrassia later secured a post as deputy general counsel at the General Services Administration. In a statement to Politico, a White House official said he is “a very helpful addition to GSA and will successfully execute President Trump’s America First policies.” Legal representatives for Ingrassia have claimed the texts were either AI-generated or written in jest.
Unlike Ingrassia, Varvaro was not given second and third chances—or even a proper investigation. In fact, sources told the Daily Beast that Varvaro’s suspension was merely for show and that she will not be returning to DHS.
A DHS official pushed back on claims that Varvaro was fired in a statement to the Daily Beast on Wednesday. “Julia Varvaro is on administrative leave as a result of the investigation and she is no longer serving in her capacity as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at DHS,” they wrote.
Varvaro, who earned her Doctor of Professional Studies in Homeland Security in 2024, denied having a profile on Seeking.com to the Mail—chalking up the allegations to a disgruntled ex.
“We were together in an exclusive relationship. We went on vacations. I don’t know what’s the problem with that,” Varvaro told the Daily Mail. “I did nothing wrong. This is just a mad ex-boyfriend putting crap together. And it’s just really weird.”
The disgruntled man who exposed Varvaro was her former paramour, who accused her of “posing a security risk” in a complaint filed with DHS’s Inspector General.
The New York Post later identified the man as Robert Bianchi, a defense contractor with millions in federal contracts. At least 57, he would have had a similar age gap with Varvaro as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt does with her husband.
Bianchi alleged he spent $40,000 on Varvaro over three months, including first-class trips to Aruba and Italy, though he was also present on both trips. Varvaro did not respond to requests for comment.
Varvaro is far from the only woman to be removed from the Trump administration, or the most senior. In just two months, Trump has ousted three Cabinet members—all women.
A version of this story first appeared in The Swamp newsletter.
