Two appointees to key cabinet positions under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump face allegations of sexual misconduct.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, faces a sexual assault allegation regarding a 2017 incident in California. The allegations were serious enough for Trump’s pick for Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, to reportedly address him on Wednesday evening.
In addition to Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, also faces controversy. Authorities have accused Gaetz of improper sexual conduct with a minor and showing pictures of these encounters to others on the House floor.
In 1989, the Senate did not confirm John Tower, former President George H.W. Bush’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, marking the last time they did not confirm a cabinet appointee from a new president. However, these controversial picks raise the likelihood that Trump could see one of his appointees fail in the Senate, even though Republicans hold the majority.