Republican senators are squirming over the rash of sexual misconduct allegations against President-elect Trump's Cabinet picks, which they fear will become a focal point of Senate confirmation hearings next year.

Senate Republicans expressed relief Thursday when former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) withdrew his name from consideration to serve as attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

But GOP lawmakers are already warning that Trump’s other controversial nominees, including Pete Hegseth, who has been tapped to head the Defense Department; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is slated to head the Department of Health and Human Services; and Linda McMahon, who would lead the Department of Education, will also face tough questions related to allegations of sexual misconduct or enabling sexual abuse.

Some Republican senators are privately hoping that other nominees will follow Gaetz and drop out if their confirmation proceedings would threaten to entangle the new administration in scandals during Trump’s first few months in office.

“That’s why the Constitution matters. It gives us the chance to advise and consent. We just need to make sure we do our jobs,” one Republican senator who requested anonymity said of the allegations.

“A president should have some level of deference to who he or she wants in positions that surround them but that doesn’t mean it’s a free card. It doesn’t mean there’s nothing we’re supposed to do,” the senator said.

“My expectation, not just my hope, is that some of these people may be weeded out in the process before they ever get to a hearing,” the lawmaker added, referring to Trump’s picks.

A second GOP senator who requested anonymity said that with Gaetz no longer under consideration for........

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