(This article has been revised to include the withdrawal of former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz from his nomination for attorney general.)

WASHINGTON ― Previously in American politics, accusations regarding sexual misconduct could end a political career.

However, such allegations seem to present no barrier to securing high-profile roles in Donald Trump’s new administration.

A woman named Eliza Cooney, who was a live-in nanny for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, has claimed that he groped her when she was 23. Kennedy, a figure from a prominent American political family, stated he does not recall the incident but expressed regret if he made her feel uncomfortable.

Cooney expressed that Kennedy’s response was not a genuine apology. She remarked, “I don’t know if it’s an apology if you say, ‘I don’t remember,’” during an interview with YSL News.

Additionally, three other men nominated by Trump for key administration roles have also faced sexual misconduct allegations, which raises concerns about their backgrounds as they seek to serve in government positions.

Pete Hegseth, nominated by Trump for Defense secretary, reportedly reached a financial settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual assault, according to his attorney. Hegseth denied the allegations and was never charged, with his attorney stating that the settlement was made to protect his job as a Fox News commentator.

Furthermore, Matt Gaetz, a former Florida congressman designated as attorney general by Trump, has been under investigation for three years by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct and drug-related offenses. Gaetz denies these claims and resigned shortly after his nomination, just before the Ethics Committee was set to release its findings. Recently, he withdrew his nomination, indicating it became a distraction for Trump’s team.

Elon Musk, the wealthiest individual globally, whom Trump sought to involve in a new initiative focused on government efficiency, faced a lawsuit in June from eight former SpaceX employees. The lawsuit contends that Musk and his company treated women as “sexual objects” and described a workplace environment filled with inappropriate behavior, where complaints were dismissed and employees were encouraged to seek work elsewhere.

By appointing others with allegations of sexual misconduct into his administration, Trump is perceived as sending a message to those who have commented on his own conduct towards women, noted Julian Zelizer, a history professor at Princeton University and author of a book about Trump’s presidency.

The transition team for Trump has not replied to requests for comments.

Trump himself has faced numerous allegations regarding sexual misconduct, with nineteen women accusing him over the years. Last year, a federal jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll, who claimed Trump assaulted her in a department store almost thirty years ago. Trump rejected the allegations, but the jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages, with Trump currently appealing the decision.

This verdict was a rare accountability moment for Trump, who has managed to evade serious repercussions for many of the allegations against him. The outcomes of his appeals related to the Carroll verdict remain uncertain, particularly regarding their potential influence on his presidential campaign.

In 2016, Trump leveraged his business and television career to ascend to the presidency, despite ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct. Just days before the election, a recording surfaced in which he boasted about being able to grab women inappropriately. He ultimately won the election, defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in a shocking victory.

Trump’s strategy of appointing individuals with accusations of sexual misconduct into notable government roles reflects his disregard for conventional norms and his determination to assert his power, according to Zelizer. “He doesn’t care about perceptions and norms. This is him asserting himself, as he does all the time.”

A national dialogue on sexual harassment and abuse

Donald Trump is not the first high-profile individual to encounter serious allegations of sexual misconduct and emerge with his position intact. In 1991, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas secured Senate confirmation despite claims of sexual harassment made by his former colleague, attorney Anita Hill. Thomas’ hearing sparked a nationwide dialogue on workplace harassment and was a precursor to the later “#MeToo” movement, which would shine a brighter light on these issues.

Fast forward twenty-seven years from Thomas’ hearing, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faced similar accusations during his confirmation process concerning an alleged sexual assault from the 1980s. Kavanaugh denied the allegations and similarly achieved Senate confirmation.

Numerous influential figures in politics and entertainment have lost their positions or been compelled to resign due to allegations of sexual misconduct. This has included governors like Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo of New York, and Jim McGreevey of New Jersey, as well as senators and congressmembers like Bob Packwood, Larry Craig, Al Franken, Anthony Weiner, and Mark Foley.

In the past, even an indication of sexual indiscretion could lead to a politician facing public scorn. For instance, devout Christian Jimmy Carter admitted to Playboy in his 1976 presidential campaign that he experienced lustful thoughts about women other than his wife, provoking a political cartoonist to depict him ominously eyeing the Statue of Liberty. Carter later remarked that this controversy nearly jeopardized his presidential campaign.

However, the allegations regarding Trump’s four nominees are far weightier than mere voyeuristic tendencies.

Since the announcement of Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general, alarming revelations have emerged each day about his alleged sexual misconduct and drug-related behavior.

Florida attorney Joel Leppard told ABC News he represents two women who testified in front of the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz compensated them for sexual encounters via Venmo. One of the witnesses claimed to have observed Gaetz having sexual relations with her then 17-year-old friend at an Orlando party in July 2017.

Recent court documents related to a defamation lawsuit mention sealed testimonies that involve Gaetz at the same party where drugs including “alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, also known as molly, and marijuana” were present. These documents may become public following claims that a hacker acquired them.

Although the Justice Department looked into Gaetz, they opted not to file any charges, which Gaetz argues proves his innocence. Nonetheless, an impending Ethics Committee report or potentially damaging witness accounts could complicate Gaetz’s nomination process.

“Compensating someone for sex is troubling, administering drugs to a minor raises serious questions, and having sexual relations with a minor disqualifies someone from being the attorney general of the United States,” stated a source familiar with the House Ethics and a separate Justice Department inquiry. “We don’t expect our attorney general to be involved in such activities.”

Regarding the accusations directed at Hegseth, officials in Monterey, California, recently confirmed his involvement in a 2017 investigation concerning alleged sexual assault.

A woman claiming she was assaulted by Hegseth reported to police that he prevented her from leaving a room at the Hyatt Hotel and that he was positioned atop her, as revealed by recently released documents obtained by YSL News.

The woman shared fragmented memories of the incident, stating that she repeatedly said “no” and that Hegseth had taken her phone and blocked the exit with his body. Identified only as Jane Doe, the 30-year-old woman asserted that she had consumed Champagne and suspected her drink may have been tampered with.

No charges were filed against Hegseth. His attorney, Timothy Parlatore, claimed that police findings indicated Hegseth’s accuser was the aggressor, but he chose to settle for an undisclosed amount after she threatened to pursue legal action in 2020.

As for Elon Musk, a lawsuit initiated by former SpaceX employees includes a 31-page attachment that details numerous instances of the billionaire’s posts on the social media platform X, which he owns.

The lawsuit, which YSL News has reviewed, claims that certain social media posts by Musk were inappropriate, as they targeted specific individuals and groups.

For instance, in one post, Musk proposed establishing a Texas university modeled after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), humorously suggesting that it would be named “TITS” and that “Ds [women’s bra sizes] would earn degrees,” according to the lawsuit. Another post included a digitally modified image of a rocket that resembled a large male organ. Additional posts reportedly contained sexual innuendos, made references to male genitalia, and commented on the pronoun usage of transgender individuals.

At least four other private lawsuits have also been filed against SpaceX in California, alleging sexual harassment or discrimination. In one such case from March, a woman claimed that her supervisor (not Musk) initiated a coerced sexual relationship with her in 2019, which led to the birth of a child. The lawsuit alleged that SpaceX attempted to assist the former supervisor in dodging child support payments, even after he left the company in 2022.

In the same year, Business Insider reported on documents related to allegations against Musk by a massage therapist who accused him of propositioning her for sex and exposing himself. Musk dismissed these claims, stating to the publication, “If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light.”

SpaceX has not responded to YSL News regarding these allegations.

‘An inflection point’

Cooney, a former babysitter who alleges Kennedy groped her, expresses a desire to share her experience to empower others to make informed decisions about the nominee. She emphasizes that her intention is not to obstruct his nomination but to encourage other women to disclose their encounters with different men.

“I know there are diligent individuals without hidden issues,” she remarked. “I wish we were electing figures with fewer flaws.”

Juliet Williams, a gender studies professor at UCLA, believes the allegations against the four nominees should disqualify them from positions in Trump’s administration.

“This indicates that a significant target in the Trump culture war will be those who oppose sexual abuse and violence,” she stated. “It’s disgraceful that such matters are central to any major political party’s agenda, let alone that of the U.S. president.”

Williams and Lorraine Bayard de Volo, a professor specializing in women and gender studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, view Trump’s inclination to nominate men accused of sexual misconduct as part of a broader reaction to the #MeToo movement. The movement, which gained traction in 2017, led to the downfall of many influential men and, in some cases, imprisonment. Critics argue that it overreached and tarnished the reputations of men for non-assaultive actions.

Bayard de Volo expressed concern that Trump’s nominations may deter women from reporting instances of sexual harassment or abuse. She noted that much of the time, women who experience such issues already remain silent, lacking faith that the justice system will penalize their aggressors. With Trump’s selections, “the message trickling down might reinforce these fears,” she explained.

Williams indicated that she’s been surprised by how many young women in her classes—in their late teens and early 20s—are astounded that a majority of Americans would elect a president with Trump’s history of sexual misconduct accusations. For these women, it feels like “a gut punch” to realize how far removed they are from a society where women deserve dignity, respect, and safety.

For this cohort of young women, “this represents a pivotal moment that they will carry with them throughout their lives,” Williams remarked. “I hope it proves to be illuminating rather than disheartening.”