On Thursday, former Congressman Matt Gaetz announced he was withdrawing from his candidacy by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as attorney general in his administration. The day before, after a two-hour closed-door meeting, the House Ethics Committee announced that it will not release a report on Gaetz at this timeculmination of an investigation into allegations that Gaetz attended sex parties, took illegal drugs and had sex with a minor. Gaetz reportedly announced his withdrawal on X after being asked to comment on testimony regarding an alleged second previously unreported sexual encounter with the minor, according to CNN. (Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and the DOJ closed its investigation into him without filing charges.)

Gaetz was just one of many Controversial Cabinet choices we’ve seen it from Trump as he prepares to re-enter the White House, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing surprise and concern. In fact, Gaetz’s sudden decision to step down a day after courting senators was less surprising, to some, than the choice itself. “Holy shit!” I didn’t see that coming,” said Sen. John Fetterman. would have said sarcastically after learning of Gaetz’s withdrawal. A few Republican senators reportedly “relieved” by the news.

Yet Gaetz’s withdrawal and the ethics report’s uncertain future do not derail the trajectory the president-elect has already set for his future cabinet — a trajectory that encompasses not only the unqualified, but also the accused men of sexual assault. There is no “relief” in sight when the allegations against Gaetz did not automatically disqualify him from consideration on day one. There will be no relief following his removal, potentially allowing the former congressman to skirt accountability and avoid further scrutiny.

Instead, lawmakers will continue to scratch their heads over Trump’s choice of the former WWE executive and former Small Business Administration administrator. Linda McMahon for Education Secretary or television host and surgeon Mehmet Oz as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. By any logical, reality-based standard, these choices would unanimously be considered laughable, inappropriate, and even rejectable — but Trump has made it clear that normal standards no longer apply.

When Trump nominated Gaetz to head the Justice Department, attention quickly turned to the sexual assault allegations surrounding the embattled lawmaker, including claims to have had sex with a minor and would have been involved in sex trafficking alongside his former friend Joel Greenbergwho pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in 2021.

“Why is he so determined to choose the most controversial firebrand he can think of for each post? Chuck Todd of NBC News wrote, saying that “politically, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense” for Trump to nominate a man. investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct. A band of Republican senators were reportedly “stunned, and not in a good way.” by the choice of Gaetz. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, responded to the news by asking a reporter: “Are you fucking me?”

Yet being surprised by all this seems painfully naive. The troubling overall theme is that men accused of sexual misconduct are not a bug, but a feature of the inner circle that Trump assembles for his administration.

In 2016, when the country first decided that a man accused of sexual assault or harassment by more than two dozen women was fit to hold the highest office in the land, I was admittedly shocked.

I watched in horror as acquaintances and family members celebrated Trump’s ascension when, just weeks before, he was heard – on tape – bragging about grabbing women by their genitals without their consent. I tried, unsuccessfully, to follow the mental gymnastics deployed by some of the people who, at one point, offered me their sincere condolences, best wishes and righteous indignation after being sexually assaulted by a former colleague, only to then praise their God when Trump secured an electoral college victory.

I overcame post-traumatic stress disorder triggers as the first President Trump endorsed it Roy Moore, a man accused of having relationships with underage girls (Moore denied the allegations)And defended his former White House cabinet secretary Rob Porter after being accused of several cases of domestic violence (Porter denied the allegations but resigned from his position). I cried like now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court — the testimony of his accuser Christine Blasey Ford was dismissed like the rape kit I endured and which, to this day, sits on a shelf somewhere in Oregon, collecting dust and indifference.

Today, as the country prepares for the arrival of Trump 2.0 despite his two indictments, 34 felony convictions and a jury finds him responsible for sexual abusethis shock has eroded. And that has been replaced by a cold dissociation that takes over the body and mind when so many promises that good will conquer evil and justice will prevail crumble before your eyes.

It’s a feeling that many, including the 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men will be victims of sexual assault at some point in their lives, know it only too well. This is what bombards the senses when you live in a country where less than 7% of rape cases will end in conviction. It’s the familiar gut punch that precedes a local prosecutor telling you there isn’t enough evidence to go to trial; they are sorry, but they can do nothing; That’s what happens when it’s “he says, she says.”

This is also why More than 200 Survivors of Sexual Assault and Gender-Based Violence Sign Full-Page Ad in The New York Times urging – begging – voters not to reinstate Trump in the Oval Office. While others may have forgotten the tumult that characterized his first presidency, those of us who called sexual assault hotlines at record rate during confirmation hearings and I listened to it claim his accusers were too ugly to rape not.

We know all too well how the country has historically appeased toxic, misogynistic men in positions of power, ignoring or even embracing their sexist rhetoric as simple “men being men” or, later, engaging in “discussions in the locker rooms.” We still remember certain Republicans lawmakers call our bodies “hosts” and claiming “Legitimate rapes” do not result in pregnancyonly for the same political party to claim that it “respects life” and defends “family values”.

This is why very few of us were shocked when Gaetz allegedly showed sex videos of women to his congressional colleagues on the floor of the house, or when it voted alone “no” on a 2017 bill against human trafficking.

And that’s why we weren’t surprised when prosecutors closed the investigation into whether Gaetz recruited women online for sexual purposes and paid with cash apps without filing a complaint.

Even with Gaetz removed, Trump’s Cabinet picks are shaping up to be nothing more than a disaster: a group of men accused of sexual assault, harassment or rape whose career trajectories appear undisturbed by the allegations.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the 90s who worked at homeresponded to the allegation by saying on the Breaking Points podcast that he was “not a church boy” and admitting that he had “so many skeletons in my closet.”

And then there’s former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who was investigated in connection with sexual assault allegations. a woman in 2017 then paying to silence her. No charges have been filed and his lawyer has denied the allegations.

In this context, the president-elect’s choice of Gaetz for attorney general seems, despite his withdrawal, a mere canary in the coal mine, warning those who need reminding of what is likely. future.