Elon Musk, Matt Gaetz – Trump’s picks show flexible US cabinet vetting

US President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of nominees for key Cabinet positions, including Elon Musk, Matt Gaetz, Linda McMahon, has sparked significant controversy, with several of his picks facing allegations of sexual misconduct.
As the nation gears up for Donald Trump’s second administration, these accusations are casting a shadow over his appointments, highlighting a stark contrast to previous nomination processes where even minor allegations were enough to derail potential candidates.
A Supreme Court nominee withdrew after it emerged he had smoked marijuana in his youth. Two attorney general candidates were eliminated when it was revealed they had hired undocumented immigrants as nannies. Another cabinet pick, a former Senate leader, faced rejection for failing to pay taxes on a car and driver provided by an associate. Even controversial social media posts were enough to derail another nominee’s chances.
Let’s take a closer look at the individuals involved and the implications of these controversies.
Donald Trump himself has long been the subject of numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The most recent legal development came when a New York jury found him liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, ordering him to pay $83 million in damages for both abuse and defamation.
Carroll, who was one of over a dozen women to accuse Trump, alleged that he raped her in a department store dressing room. Trump denied the claims, labelling Carroll as “a nut job” and dismissing her allegations as a fabricated story to sell her memoir.
Donald Trump’s history of allegations against women, including the infamous 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape where he bragged about assaulting women, has long been a point of contention. However, his response to the charges has been one of staunch denial, with his legal battles continuing to define his public image.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defence, has faced accusations of sexual assault dating back to 2017. According to a police report, a woman claimed Hegseth assaulted her after a Republican women’s event in California, locking her in a hotel room and refusing to let her leave.
Hegseth denied the allegations, insisting the encounter was consensual. His legal team maintained that the police investigation, which did not lead to charges, had cleared him.
However, a confidential settlement was reportedly made with the woman involved, a move Hegseth’s lawyer argued was precautionary in order to prevent a lawsuit.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services, faces allegations from a woman who claimed he groped her while she was babysitting for his children in the late 1990s. Kennedy acknowledged his past “rambunctious youth” but did not dispute the allegation.
After the story surfaced, he apologised to the woman via text message. The accusation has sparked renewed interest in Kennedy’s past behaviour, which he downplays as youthful indiscretions.
Linda McMahon, former WWE executive and Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, is facing legal action over claims that she enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee in the 1980s.
The lawsuit alleges that Melvin Phillips, a WWE employee who died in 2012, abused young men in the company’s employ, with McMahon allegedly aware of the misconduct and failing to intervene.
McMahon has denied the allegations, stating that investigations by company lawyers and the FBI found no grounds for further action.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been accused of sexual misconduct by a flight attendant who worked on his private jet in 2016. A 2022 report revealed that SpaceX paid the woman $250,000 in severance in exchange for her silence regarding the incident.
Elon Musk denied the claims, calling them “utterly untrue,” and suggested that the allegations were politically motivated due to his public stance on free speech and support for conservative causes.
Matt Gaetz, once nominated by Donald Trump as attorney general, withdrew his name from consideration amidst a cloud of allegations involving sex trafficking and sexual misconduct. Gaetz was under investigation by the Justice Department for his involvement in an alleged sex trafficking ring that reportedly included underage girls.
While no federal charges were filed, Gaetz’s involvement in the investigation and subsequent House Ethics Committee inquiry raised significant concerns. Gaetz has denied all allegations, claiming that the investigation was politically motivated and that the case against him was without merit.
The controversies surrounding Trump’s Cabinet picks highlight a shifting standard in the vetting process for high-level government positions. In previous administrations, even minor allegations could disqualify a candidate, with scrutiny often leading to withdrawals before a Senate vote. However, the current climate under Trump’s leadership has seen a more relaxed approach to these issues, with many of the nominees facing serious allegations continuing to receive endorsements from the president.
Senator John Cornyn, a senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, acknowledged the evolving nature of the confirmation process. “Standards are apparently evolving,” he said, referring to the shifting expectations of what is deemed acceptable in high office.
Despite Trump’s unwavering support for his picks, there has been bipartisan concern over the backgrounds of several nominees. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, expressed her unease, stating, “I believe that integrity and character matter.” Democrats, particularly Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, have raised alarms, stating that the nature of these allegations is “deep stains” on the individuals involved, which would have been disqualifying in previous administrations.
Republican senators, on the other hand, have defended Trump’s choices, arguing that the president is entitled to select his team without undue interference. “There’s a lot of people, if you think about the first Trump administration, that got nominated and never got confirmed,” said Senator Rick Scott of Florida, suggesting that the current administration should not be deterred from moving forward with its agenda.
Senators are under pressure to conduct thorough investigations into the background of each nominee, especially when serious accusations of sexual misconduct and other ethical violations are involved.
“Deep stains” on a nominee’s record, as described by Senator Blumenthal, could have long-term consequences for the legitimacy of Trump’s second administration.