Will Republicans Overlook the Misconduct of Trump’s Nominees?

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and COLLEEN LONG

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidency, he tried to demonstrate his dominance by appointing loyalists to top administration positions, although many lack experience and some face accusations of sexual misconduct. He often seems to dare Congress to oppose his decisions.

But on Thursday, Trump’s attempt to act with impunity showed a crack Matt Gaetzhis election to the position of Attorney General, withdrew from consideration.

Trump named Gaetz, a congressman from Florida, as the nation’s top law enforcement official, even though he is widely disliked by his colleagues, has little legal experience and has been accused of having sex with an underage girl. a charge he denied. After being dogged by investigations during his first presidency, Trump wanted a devoted ally in charge of the Department of Justice during his second.

However, it was never apparent that Gaetz could win enough support from lawmakers to be confirmed as attorney general. Trump chose as his replacement Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who defended him during his first impeachment trial and supported his false claims of voter fraud.

Now the question is whether Gaetz was uniquely unlikable or whether Trump’s other picks might overcome his party’s willingness to overlook concerns that would have sunk nominees in an earlier political era.

The next test will likely be Pete Hegseth, whom Trump wants to run the Pentagon despite a sexual assault charge he has denied. So far, the Republicans are gathering around Hegsethan Army veteran and former Fox News host.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the controversy over Gaetz would have no bearing on Trump’s other picks. He said they would be considered “one at a time.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, suggested otherwise, arguing that “the dominoes are falling.”

“The drip of evidence and truth will eventually convict others,” he said.

Trump’s election victory was a sign that there may not be many red lines left in American politics. He won the presidential race despite authoritarian, racist and misogynistic rhetoric, not to mention years of lies about election fraud and his role in triggering the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. He was too criminally convicted of falsifying business records to pay hush money, and it was found guilty of sexual abuse in a civil case.

Empowered by voters who looked past his misconduct and saw him as a powerful agent of change, Trump showed no deference to Washington norms as he working to fill his second administration. The transition team did not follow federal background checks for Trump’s staff picks. While some of his selections have extensive experience in the fields they have been chosen to lead, others are personal friends and Fox News personalities who have impressed and flattered Trump over the years.

Several faced allegations involving sexual misconduct.

Hegseth faces the most scrutiny since Gaetz. Once Trump announced Hegseth as his nominee to head the Pentagon, allegations surfaced that he sexually assaulted a woman in California in 2017.

The woman said he took her phone, locked the hotel room door and refused to let her leave, according to a police report made public this week.

Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter was consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. However, he paid the woman a confidential understanding in 2023. Hegseth’s lawyer said the payment was made to prevent the threat of a groundless lawsuit.

Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has also faced allegations of misconduct. A woman who cared for him and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine that Kennedy groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23.

Kennedy did not deny the allegation and sent an apologetic message to the woman after the article was published. This is not the only obstacle for Kennedy; has spent years spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines, sparking fears of making him a top health official in the new administration.

Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick to be secretary of education, is fighting a lawsuit related to her former company, World Wrestling Entertainment. She is accused of knowingly allowing the sexual exploitation of children by an employee since the 1980s and denies the allegations.

Tulsi Gabbard is another person who could face an uphill confirmation battle, but for very different reasons. The former Democratic representative from Hawaii has been a vocal Trump ally, and he tapped her to be national intelligence director. But there is great concern among lawmakers and national security officials about Gabbard’s history echoing Russian propaganda. Critics said it would jeopardize relations with US allies.

Gaetz was investigated by federal law enforcement for sex trafficking, but the case was closed without charges, and Republicans blocked the release of a related report of the Ethics Committee of the Chamber.

However, some allegations have leaked, including that Gaetz paid women for sex. One of the women testified to the commission that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a lawyer for the woman.

As Gaetz met with senators this week, it became clear he would face stubborn resistance from lawmakers who were concerned about his behavior and believed he was unqualified to lead the Justice Department.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation has unfairly become a distraction,” Gaetz wrote on social media when he announced his retirement.

Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, said he believed there were four to six caucus members who would have voted against Gaetz, possibly dooming his nomination, and “the math just got too hard.”

He said some of the issues and allegations surrounding Gaetz are “perhaps out of bounds.”

“I think there were too many things, it was like a leaky levee and you know, it broke,” Braun said.

Trump thanked Gaetz in a post on Truth Social, his social media site, without addressing the substance of the allegations against him.

“He was doing very well, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has a lot of respect,” Trump wrote.

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves and Lisa Macaro contributed from Washington. Jill Colvin from New York and Adriana Gomez Licon from Fort Lauderdale, Florida also contributed.

Originally published: November 22, 2024 at 12:10 PM CST