Former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal as President-elect Trump’s nominee for attorney general amid growing fallout over sex trafficking allegations may prove problematic for Trump’s other controversial picks for top administration positions.
Gaetz took his name out of consideration Thursday as Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice to serve as defense secretary, was wrapping up meetings on Capitol Hill with senators.
Hegseth, who was joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance, is also facing sexual misconduct allegations from a 2017 encounter. Scrutiny increased late Wednesday night after police in Monterey, California, released a report about the allegations.
GAETZ WITHDRAWS NAME AS ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE
President-elect Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., right, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, left, walk out of a meeting with Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members at the Capitol in Washington Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
“The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday. Through his attorney, he has also acknowledged the sexual encounter but has said it was consensual.
Trump’s transition team spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called Hegseth “a highly-respected combat veteran who will honorably serve our country when he is confirmed as the next secretary of defense.”
WHOM WILL TRUMP PICK NEXT FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL?
But with Gaetz now out of the firing line, Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who, until earlier this month, was a high-profile Fox News host, is likely to face more attention from the media and from senators.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, speaks with reporters after a meeting with senators on Capitol Hill Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, taking questions from reporters after Gaetz announced he was dropping out of consideration, was asked about the allegations against Hegseth.
“It’s a pretty big problem given that we have … a sexual assault problem in our military,” Cramer said.
The senator added he’s “not going to prejudge,” but that “it’s a pretty concerning accusation.”
Trump’s transition team on Thursday afternoon blasted out an email titled, “Pete Hegseth Earns Strong Support On Capitol Hill,” which spotlighted positive quotes from 11 GOP…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FOX News : Politics…