Three of President-elect Donald Trump's top Cabinet picks are facing serious sexual misconduct allegations, complicating their confirmation as Republican senators assess their qualifications for key government roles.
Trump's nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old and paying two women for sex at a Florida party, where prostitution is illegal. His pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been accused of sexual assault, while his choice for health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was accused of groping a former family babysitter earlier this year.
Gaetz and Hegseth have denied the allegations. Kennedy, responding to the claims in the summer, referred to his personal history during an announcement, saying, "I have so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world", according to NBC News, which later reported Kennedy had apologized to the woman over text messages.
Trump himself has faced sexual misconduct allegations, which he has denied. However, last year, he was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial over a 1990s incident, which he continues to deny. Now, as president again, Trump is pushing for the confirmation of Cabinet nominees with similar allegations.
Marc Short, who was former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, highlighted the political difficulties for senators. He explained that while some Republicans have expressed a desire to review the House Ethics Committee's report on Gaetz, none have ruled out supporting him. Short added that senators face a tough choice, as opposing Trump's nominee could risk a primary challenger, while supporting controversial picks could make a general election more challenging.
Gaetz's controversies have resurfaced as he seeks a Cabinet post. One of his former associates pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, though the Justice Department ended its investigation into Gaetz without charges. A lawyer representing two women who testified before the House Ethics Committee recently claimed Gaetz paid them for sex multiple times. One woman also alleged she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl but believed he did not know her age.
Hegseth faces accusations of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, which he denied, claiming the encounter was consensual and that the two reached a "civil confidential settlement agreement."
Kennedy, in a Vanity Fair profile, was accused of groping a former family nanny. He downplayed the allegation, saying, "I am not a church boy."
Trump's transition team is pressing ahead with the confirmation process despite mounting controversy. A transition official emphasized Trump's determination to support his nominees, framing the president's victory as a mandate to challenge Washington's status quo.
While both Democrats and some Republican senators have raised concerns about the controversial appointments, Trump has remained steadfast in backing his choices. The looming confirmation hearings are expected to bring intense scrutiny.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene weighed in on the debate, calling for transparency across the board. In a post on X, she suggested that if ethics investigations into Trump's nominees proceed, all such inquiries, including those involving other members of Congress, should be made public.
"For my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate, if we are going to release ethics reports and rip apart our own that Trump has appointed, then put it ALL out there for the American people to see," Greene wrote. "Yes. All the ethics reports and claims, including the one I filed; all your sexual harassment and assault claims that were secretly settled paying off victims with taxpayer money; the entire Jeffrey Epstein files, tapes, recordings, witness interviews. But not just those—there's more. Epstein wasn't/isn't the only asset. If we're going to dance, let's all dance in the sunlight. I'll make sure we do."
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