By MARY CLARE JALONICK, STEPHEN GROVES and KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect of Donald Trump allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete HegsethTrump’s election to the Pentagon, Thursday even as new details about the allegations have emerged that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017.

Hegseth’s embrace came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction” amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report on allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex multiple times beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a congressman from Florida.

New questions have emerged about the two nominees’ backgrounds and their treatment of women, with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far refused the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required.

While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump’s nominees, it became clear after Gaetz’s withdrawal that many had private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “puts country first and I’m pleased with his decision.”

After the meeting with Hegseth, however, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress.

Republican senators’ guarded words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump’s choices, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president, but also some of their hope that the confirmation process can proceed normally with proper vetting. and background checks that could eventually. disqualify problem candidates early. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday.

Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested it would have little influence on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions – one at a time,” he said.

As Hegseth’s nomination continues, Republicans also appear to be betting they won’t face much backlash for publicly dropping allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won the election after being found guilty of abuse sexually last year.

Hegseth held a round of private meetings with the original vice president JD Vance on Thursday in a bid to drum up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter has been fully investigated and I’ve been cleared completely and that’s where I’ll leave it.”

A 22 page police report made public On Wednesday night he provided the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel employee, another woman at the event and Hegseth.

Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023, as part of a confidentiality agreement, to go away the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore said.

Wicker downplayed the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying “since no charges have been brought by the authorities, we only have media reports.”

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after meeting with Hegseth that he “shared with him that I was saddened by the attacks coming his way.”

Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he said, she said thing” and called it a “disgrace” that they were raised.

The senator said the focus should instead be on the Defense Department, which Hegseth will lead. It is one of the most complex parts of the federal government, with more than 3 million employees, including military and civilian service members. However, sexual assault was a persistent problem in the military Pentagon officials were cautiously optimistic they see a decline in reported sexual assaults between active duty members and military academies.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the Senate’s second-ranking Republican next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the candidate was a strong candidate who “promised that the Pentagon would focus on strength and power — not on the administration’s current woke political agenda.”