Trump’s era normalizes Washington sex scandals

The high tide of sex scandals in Washington is now beyond tabloid gossip and social media clickbait. The scandals now point to a raft of powerful people who put personal desire ahead of good government.

The recent stories are plain ugly, beyond trash.

After a married woman on his congressional staff committed suicide by burning herself to death, Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) refused to admit that he had an extramarital affair with her. He finally acknowledged the sexual relationship after text messages from the staffer revealed Gonzalez pressuring her for explicit “sexy” photos and asking if she liked anal sex.

It gets even more tawdry.

Recently, at an open congressional hearing, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) directly asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she had a sexual relationship with President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. 

Noem’s husband had to sit stiffly behind her as she was asked about sex with another man. Noem and Lewandowski are married to other people but The Wall Street Journal reported they “do little to hide their relationship,” and traveled on a luxury jet “with a private cabin in back.”

There’s more openly bad sexual behavior.

At the Labor Department, the secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, stands accused of having a sexual affair with a member of her security detail. She is also under investigation for coordinating official travel with personal trips to a Las Vegas resort and a strip club.

Furthermore, her husband is reportedly banned from visiting the Labor Department after being accused of sexually assaulting two female employees.

Her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, has denied the charges. But the impact on the department came into view when two of Chavez-DeRemer’s top aides recently........

© The Hill