Attention surrounds the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump’s selection for key positions in his cabinet and staff due to various allegations of sexual misconduct. As more nomination reports have surfaced where several nominees, one of them being the president-elect Donald Trump himself, had been accused of sexual abuse or harassment.
Legal Cases Surrounding Donald Trump about Sexual Abuse Allegations
Donald Trump has long been in the spotlight due to allegations of sexual misconduct. In one of the most high-profile cases, a New York City jury found him liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, an advice columnist, in 1996. Trump was also ordered to pay Carroll $83 million in damages for both the abuse and subsequent defamation.
Though Trump vehemently denied the allegations, labeling Carroll’s accusations as false, more than a dozen other women have brought similar claims against him. Trump termed those women “liars” and referred to Carroll as a “nut job” for her account, which he said was concocted to sell her memoir.
Key Cabinet Nominees Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Several people nominated by Trump have been attached to some form of sexual misconduct allegations. Here’s a breakdown of the cases:
Pete Hegseth- Defense Secretary Nominee
Defense Secretary nomination by President Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth is being accused of sexual assault by a woman who claims he assaulted her back in 2017. According to this lady, Hegseth trapped her in a hotel room and sexually assaulted her. Hegseth says it was a consensual experience. His lawyers defend the claim that the investigations were held on the allegations, and no charges were pressed. He entered a private settlement after the police investigation even though the terms of the settlements are not disclosed.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been accused of groping a woman who was paid to be a babysitter for his family in the late 1990s. Kennedy has spoken publicly about inappropriate behavior he engaged in when he was younger, saying it was part of his “very, very rambunctious youth.” He declined to deny the woman’s accusations, instead later apologizing to her by text.
Linda McMahon – Nominee for Secretary of Education
Linda McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE), was sued yesterday, claiming that she and her husband, Vince McMahon, had long condoned the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee in the 1980s. The lawsuit named the McMahons for allegedly having allowed Melvin Phillips to continue his alleged child abuse with young men employed by WWE over several years. Linda McMahon has strongly denied the claims, saying the case was investigated before and nothing was found.
E Elon Musk – Government Department of Efficiency Nominee
Elon Musk CEO, Tesla and SpaceX In 2016, a flight attendant working at SpaceX accused Elon Musk, the company’s chief, of sexual misconduct. The attendant alleged that Musk had exposed himself to her on a private flight; she received a $250,000 settlement in 2018. Musk has denied accusations, stating them as “utterly untrue” and citing his outspoken political views as the reason for the accusations.
Matt Gaetz – Resigns from Attorney General Appointment
Perhaps the most notable dead-end appointment was Matt Gaetz, who was chosen by Trump as a possible Attorney General candidate. With an ongoing federal investigation into sex trafficking and sexual misconduct allegations against him, Gaetz pulled out of consideration. According to reports, investigators had investigated his possible involvement in trafficking underage girls. No charges have been filed against Gaetz, however, and he claims the investigation is politically motivated.
Accusations and Denials: A Common Thread
Although all of Trump’s appointees have denied the charges against them, the sheer number of people connected to such charges suggests that the President-elect might need to do some serious explaining. Even he has widely denied accusations against him, so have his appointees, framing such charges as politically motivated.
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