{"id":2371835,"date":"2024-11-21T16:39:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T21:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spotlight-turns-to-trump-nominees-facing-sexual-assault-allegations-washington-examiner-2\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T16:40:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T21:40:15","slug":"spotlight-turns-to-trump-nominees-facing-sexual-assault-allegations-washington-examiner-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spotlight-turns-to-trump-nominees-facing-sexual-assault-allegations-washington-examiner-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight turns to Trump nominees facing sexual assault allegations &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fspotlight-turns-to-trump-nominees-facing-sexual-assault-allegations-washington-examiner-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2371835&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses challenges facing \u2064several of President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s \u200dCabinet\u2064 nominees, particularly those linked to sexual misconduct allegations that could hinder their Senate confirmation. Matt Gaetz, nominated\u2063 for attorney general, withdrew from consideration amid accusations of sexual misconduct,\u200c prompting concerns about other\u200c nominees such as Pete\u2062 Hegseth, Trump&#8217;s pick \u200cfor defense secretary, who also faces \u2062allegations of sexual\u200c assault.\u2063 The situation raises questions \u2062about the impact of\u2063 these\u2062 controversies on the confirmation\u200b process for Trump&#8217;s administration. Gaetz, who was already controversial among lawmakers, faced significant backlash following reports concerning a sexual encounter with a minor. Meanwhile, Hegseth&#8217;s past allegations surfaced in a police report,\u200b leading to apprehension among some Republican senators. Other nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Linda McMahon, are also under\u2062 scrutiny due to\u2062 their past conduct. The article highlights the political ramifications of these allegations, \u200csuggesting that they may complicate or derail the nominees&#8217; paths to confirmation and impact the overall dynamics of Trump&#8217;s administration.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Gaetz&rsquo;s withdrawal spotlights Trump nominees who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spotlight-turns-to-trump-nominees-facing-sexual-assault-allegations-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Spotlight turns to Trump nominees facing sexual assault allegations- Washington Examiner\">face sexual misconduct allegations<\/a><\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1888399\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>At least three of President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cabinet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Cabinet<\/a> nominees are facing or are tied to sexual allegations that could complicate, if not derail, their path to Senate confirmation. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Former Florida Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/matt-gaetz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Matt Gaetz <\/a>was forced to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3237670\/matt-gaetz-withdraws-attorney-general-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">withdraw his nomination<\/a> to become Trump&rsquo;s attorney general Thursday afternoon as it became increasingly clear his path to confirmation was on rocky terms. It marked the first political setback of the second Trump era.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump\/Vance Transition,&rdquo; Gaetz wrote on X. <\/p>\n<p>Attention will inevitably turn to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, the veteran and Fox News host Trump tapped as defense secretary. Hegseth is also under fire as details of a sexual assault allegation have leaked out to the press. With Gaetz&rsquo;s withdrawal, Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination could also fall through if not properly contained.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230247\/recess-appointments-trump-skip-senate-confirmations-fill-cabinet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>RECESS APPOINTMENTS: HOW TRUMP HOPES TO SKIP SENATE CONFIRMATIONS AND FILL HIS CABINET<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Gaetz allegations are unique compared to Hegseth&rsquo;s dilemmas and those of the other two Cabinet nominees, who are dealing with similar circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice investigated sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz for three years but did not bring charges against him. However, a separate House Ethics Committee report was likely to have made its way into the hands of the press with leaks underway.<\/p>\n<p>Less than an hour before Gaetz ended his quest for attorney general, CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/21\/politics\/matt-gaetz-second-sexual-encounter-minor\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported<\/a> on a woman who testified to the Ethics Committee about having sex with Gaetz twice in 2017 when she was 17 years old.<\/p>\n<p>A well-known firebrand, Gaetz was also widely disliked by fellow congressional lawmakers. Several of them began trumpeting his withdrawal as soon as the news spread. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to dance on his grave, but I was the first one to call it,&rdquo; said Rep. Max Miller (R-OH). <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As I said repeatedly last week, Matt Gaetz is never, ever becoming Attorney General. Like ever,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepSwalwell\/status\/1859650430969733336\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said<\/a> Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA). <\/p>\n<p>A GOP strategist who requested anonymity to speak freely said, before Gaetz&rsquo;s withdrawal was announced, &ldquo;It would be a major blow to Trump if Gaetz doesn&rsquo;t get confirmed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, other strategists were less surprised.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Every president loses a Cabinet nominee to the process. Sometimes it&rsquo;s legitimate, and other times it&rsquo;s just politics,&rdquo; said GOP strategist Dennis Lennox. &ldquo;With Gaetz out of the way now, the question is, does everyone else move through? One imagines a deal where Republican senators agreed not to block R.F.K. Jr. or Tulsi Gabbard in exchange for Trump dumping Gaetz.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s pick for secretary of defense, speaks with reporters following a meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hegseth has support from Trump&rsquo;s staunchest allies, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarshaBlackburn\/status\/1859633129641869502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">called<\/a> him &ldquo;a well-qualified nominee,&rdquo; and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who said he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorHagerty\/status\/1859614828358230047\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">would confirm<\/a> his nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Trump will likely pressure Republican senators to quickly confirm Hegseth as well as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, Linda McMahon as education secretary, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-discuss-passing-covid-relief-without-republican-support\/\" title=\"Democrats discuss passing COVID relief without Republican support\">national intelligence director<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, a police report released by the Monterey City Attorney&rsquo;s Office in California included details of Hegseth blocking the woman who accused him of sexual assault from leaving the hotel where the encounter took place in 2017, taking her cellphone and then sexually assaulting the woman.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3220465\/what-trump-promised-day-one-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>WHAT TRUMP HAS PROMISED TO DO ON DAY 1 IN THE OVAL OFFICE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hegseth&rsquo;s lawyer admitted the woman was paid through a nondisclosure agreement but also said the encounter was consensual.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,&rdquo; Hegseth told reporters while visiting Capitol Hill this week. He has never been charged over the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Some Republican senators were already reticent on Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination before the police report, and Gaetz&rsquo;s news could cause more cautious or centrist lawmakers not to vote in support of the defense secretary nominee.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy was embroiled in a scandal this September when former <em>New York<\/em> magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi was revealed to have established an inappropriate relationship with him in the aftermath of a magazine profile of the former presidential candidate. Kennedy was married to his current wife, Cheryl Hines, when this <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">personal relationship allegedly occurred<\/a>. (Nuzzi was engaged to <em>Politico<\/em> journalist Ryan Lizza, but the couple split up, and Nuzzi parted ways with <em>New York <\/em>magazine<em>.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p>In October, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/rfk-jr-women-olivia-nuzzi-affairs-b2623357.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">three women emerged<\/a> with claims that they had engaged in an affair with Kennedy over the past year. Kennedy was also previously accused of groping a former babysitter to his children and later apologized to the woman.<\/p>\n<p>Linda McMahon, former WWE&nbsp;CEO, and her husband, Vince McMahon, were sued by five former Ring Boys&nbsp;for intentionally enabling the sexual abuse of children by a WWE employee.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/dicellolevitt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Date-Stamped-Does-1-5-v.-WWE-et-al.-Complaint-10.23.2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">lawsuit<\/a>, ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr. hired underaged boys to help set up WWE events. The boys were &ldquo;groomed, exploited, and sexually abused,&rdquo; with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-to-forcible-touching-following-multiple-allegations\/\" title=\"Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Pleads Guilty To Forcible Touching Following Multiple Allegations\">allegations dating back<\/a> to the 1980s. Linda McMahon has denied wrongdoing. The five John Does who filed the lawsuit said they were 13 to 15&nbsp;years old when they were recruited.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a veteran, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and survivor of sexual assault, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> the allegations against several Trump nominees are &ldquo;concerning, but I&rsquo;ll be visiting with them face to face.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign also touted in an email Thursday Ernst&rsquo;s previous praise of Hegseth last week. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think he is going to be a very strong secretary of defense,&rdquo; said the Iowa senator.<\/p>\n<p>Former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told CNN&rsquo;s <em>Inside Politics<\/em> that the Senate confirmation process must play out.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3220510\/how-trump-could-impact-pentagon\/\"><strong>HOW TRUMP COULD IMPACT THE PENTAGON<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t been convicted of any of these things,&rdquo; McDaniel told CNN&rsquo;s Dana Bash after Gaetz&rsquo;s withdrawal was announced. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s important for the senators to take this job very seriously, also to give good advice to the president and to say, you need to go into these picks with eyes wide open and understand what damage they may do and what baggage they bring to this administration.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, it&rsquo;s unclear to what extent this will affect voters who reelected Trump to the White House after he was found liable for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-faces-critical-court-dates-ahead-of-election-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump faces critical court dates ahead of election - Washington Examiner\">sexually abusing writer<\/a> E. Jean Carroll in May 2023 and accused of sexual assault by more than 15 women.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have heard without exaggeration a dozen times or so in the last week questioning the veracity of many of these charges, both leveled against Matt Gaetz and others and wondering if this is just a quote, Deep State end quote, trying to thwart President Trump&rsquo;s presidency from the beginning,&rdquo; said national Republican strategist Brian Seitchik.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sadly, I think there&rsquo;s evidence that a lot of voters don&rsquo;t care. Otherwise, Trump wouldn&rsquo;t have won the election,&rdquo; said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon.<\/p>\n<p><em>Cami Mondeaux contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1888399\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1888399\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gaetz&#8217;s exit highlights sexual misconduct claims against Trump nominees<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3173,"featured_media":2371836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24180161024728.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5609,8163,34609,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2371835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-allegations","tag-nominees","tag-sexual-assault","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24180161024728.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2371835"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2371839,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371835\/revisions\/2371839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2371836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2371835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2371835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2371835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}