Two of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, Pete Hegseth for defense secretary and Matt Gaetz for attorney general, face uncertain confirmation amid resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct. The controversy over these nominees highlights growing concerns around Trump’s selections for key government roles.
Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and military veteran, has already raised concerns among senators for his inexperience and controversial stances, such as his opposition to women in combat roles. Reports of a 2017 California police investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth surfaced just days after his nomination. While the case did not result in charges, it has drawn fresh scrutiny. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, reportedly questioned Hegseth after learning of the incident, and Trump’s legal team also followed up with him on the matter. Hegseth reportedly described the incident as a “he said, she said” situation, claiming the encounter was consensual. A source within Trump’s transition team, however, contradicted claims that Hegseth hadn’t been vetted, suggesting that the incident had not emerged during the vetting process.
Gaetz, a former congressman from Florida, faces serious hurdles in his path to Senate confirmation. His nomination has reignited interest in a past Department of Justice investigation into sex-trafficking allegations, which included claims of relations with a 17-year-old. Although the investigation concluded without charges, a House ethics report was commissioned, further examining Gaetz’s conduct regarding alleged sexual misconduct, drug use, and misuse of campaign funds. Following his nomination, Gaetz preemptively resigned from the House, possibly to avoid the release of the damaging report. However, leading senators, including Texas Republican John Cornyn, have requested the report be preserved for consideration during Gaetz’s confirmation hearings.
The controversies around Hegseth and Gaetz underscore wider concerns about Trump’s cabinet selections, with reports suggesting that some FBI background checks for certain nominees may have been bypassed. Trump’s nominees mirror aspects of his own history; Trump was ordered to pay $83 million in damages in a civil case last year after being found liable for sexual assault against writer E. Jean Carroll. Sexual misconduct allegations have similarly emerged against other Trump cabinet picks, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services, who was accused of groping a former babysitter in 1998.
