Allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct have complicated the path of two of President-elect Trump's most important candidates.
In the process, they threaten to shine a new spotlight on President Trump's record with women.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) left Congress last week after being nominated by President Trump to be attorney general. His resignation ended the investigation into him by the House Ethics Committee, which had been investigating sexual allegations. When a member retires, the committee ceases to have jurisdiction.
No charges were brought against Gaetz in the previous criminal investigation.
But the debate over whether the ethics committee's report should be made public has roiled Capitol Hill. Washington is Washington, and many insiders expect the report to be leaked even without an official announcement.
Separately, it was revealed that former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, paid money to a woman who accused him of sexual assault as part of a non-disclosure agreement. It has become the subject of new surveillance.
Both Mr. Gates and Mr. Hegseth strongly deny any wrongdoing.
Hegseth's lawyer told The Washington Post, which broke Hegseth's non-disclosure agreement, that the plaintiff was “the perpetrator who initiated the sexual activity” during the 2017 encounter.
While it's certainly possible that Gaetz and Hegseth will be confirmed anyway, several Republican senators have expressed concerns about the former Florida congressman in particular.
At least for now, there is no sign that President Trump is having second thoughts.
The president-elect's communications director, Stephen Chan, told the New York Times on Sunday that Hegseth “categorically denies all accusations” and that the Trump transition team “looks forward to his confirmation.”
Anonymous sources told CNN that Trump “has no intention of backing down” regarding Gaetz. He's trying his best. ”
But such defiance could pose some dangers to the president-elect, given his background.
Trump was accused of sexually abusing author E. Jean Carroll in a civil trial last year. Carroll claims that Trump raped her in a dressing room at a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Trump was not held responsible for the rape in court.
There's also Trump's extensive history, including a hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had a sexual relationship with him at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006.
Daniels acknowledged that the encounter was consensual. But more than 20 women have come forward to accuse President Trump of inappropriate sexual behavior, with varying degrees of severity.
President Trump has denied wrongdoing in all of these cases and generally tends to portray the women involved as motivated by a desire for fame or money.
Democrats view his picks like Gaetz and Hegseth with disdain.
“You mean the fish rots from the head on, right?” asked Democratic strategist Julie Roginski. “It is not surprising that a government led by a recognized sexual offender would not have problems with senior cabinet ministers who also have issues with sexual misconduct.”
“For those of us who have been working on these issues for years, it's disappointing to say the least. We have to do better,” said Roginski, a prominent advocate for women who have been sexually harassed in the workplace. No need.”
Of course, conservative commentators take a very different view.
Former Rep. Jason Chafetz (R-Utah) told Fox News' Laura Ingraham last week, before the issue of Hegseth's non-disclosure agreement became public, that Hegseth would be “easily approved.” spoke.
“I dare any Republican senator to vote against him,” Chafetz added. “It's not in their best interest.”
Still, all of this is on top of long-standing challenges for Trump and his party when it comes to women voters.
Trump won more support among women in this month's election than many polls expected, shaving some of the Democratic lead among female voters compared to 2020, but women still support him and Trump. away from the party.
According to exit polls, Vice President Harris had an 8 point advantage among all female voters. Among women, Harris won 53% of support, compared to 45% for Trump.
This difference was more pronounced among young women and unmarried women.
Trump lost female voters under 30 by 24 percentage points and unmarried women by 21 percentage points. The president-elect made strides with male voters of color, but less so with women voters. 91% of black women voted for Harris, and 60% of Latina women voted. This number is roughly in line with recent history.
As for the Senate confirmation process, two female Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), are among President Trump's more controversial nominees. He is one of the people most likely to vote against it.
Shortly after Gates was announced as President Trump's nominee for head of the Department of Justice, Murkowski told reporters that Gates was not a “full-fledged nomination for attorney general,” while Collins He declared himself “shocked” by the decision to promote Gates.
Further trouble for Trump's attorney general nominee came when a Florida lawyer told ABC News that two of Trump's clients testified before the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz paid them for sex. It happened on Monday.
Both of those clients were adults at the time, but the attorney said one of them testified that he saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old boy.
Regarding these allegations, President Trump's transition spokesperson told ABC, “Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He is qualified for the job and will work to end the weaponization of our justice system.'' He will give it to me,” he said.
For now, yes. However, if further allegations emerge, Mr. Trump could suffer some damage and may consider cutting his losses.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.
