Trump's State Department Hires Man Accused Of Sexual Assault Multiple Times

The Trump administration is still filling vacancies in important roles, though many of the people already hired raise serious ethical concerns. Take, for instance, the man chosen for a U.S. Department of State position who was previously accused of sexual assault by five people.

ProPublica reports the new assistant chief of visits, Steven Munoz, was accused of sexually assaulting other students while at The Citadel military college. One student accused Munoz before he graduated in 2011, and four others came forward later. The school initially gave him a warning, later banning him from the campus after he had graduated and sending a campus-wide email notifying the school community of the allegations.

The sexual assault accusations first made headlines when Munoz worked for Rick Santorum's and Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns in 2012.

Five people claimed Munoz groped them while he was an upperclassman and they were freshmen, and one alleged he woke up with Munoz on top of him, grabbing his genitals and kissing him. The freshmen believed Munoz used his influence as class president and head of the campus Republican Society to assault them.

ProPublica reports the school's investigation concluded that "certain assaults likely occurred," but a South Carolina prosecutor did not seek an indictment, saying in 2013 there was "no probable cause that he committed a crime prosecutable in General Sessions Court." Munoz denied all the allegations.

Now, as assistant chief of visits for the State Department, Munoz manages the office that "plans, arranges, and executes detailed programs for visiting Chiefs of State and Heads of Government" and "takes a lead role in the logistical planning of everything from bilateral meetings with the President, First Lady, Vice President, and the Secretary of State, to Official and State visits, and large scale international meetings and summits," according to the website.

Because past allegations against Munoz were reported back in 2012, the facts were readily available, though it's unclear whether the Trump administration was aware of the accusations before hiring Munoz. The State Department has not yet responded to Refinery29's request for comment.

Of course, there have been multiple sexual assault allegations against President Trump, and the commander in chief recently defended accused sexual harasser Bill O'Reilly, so it doesn't appear the White House is taking a hard stance on sexual assault.