MAGA politicians and conservative Christian pastors who spend their energy and political capital trying to criminalize drag, roll back LGBTQ+ rights, and villainize the queer community, are usually the very same people who are accused or convicted of committing the very crimes they work so hard to lay at the feet of LGBTQ+ people.
Republicans are obsessed with labeling drag queens, trans women, and gay people as groomers and sexual deviants who shouldn’t be allowed near children. And yet there are pastors and politicians who have allegedly been in possession of child sexual abuse images, have sexually harassed and assaulted women, or in one disturbing case, a politician was accused of sexually assaulting his own daughter.
These are just allegations that came to light in the last few years, if you go back decades, there are countless examples of Republicans accused of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment of women and minors. But somehow, according to them, the queer community is the greatest danger society faces.
The pattern is so common as to almost be a cliche at this point. So here are 10 examples of MAGA hypocrisy.
Ricci Wynne — MAGA influencer
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Far-right MAGA influencer Ricci Wynne is facing charges of “pimping” women in San Francisco as well as a federal indictment on charges of producing child sexual abuse material of two girls.
The court filing against Wynne — who made a career out of highlighting what he deemed to be the worst part of San Francisco life, including drug use and graffiti — also shows that he is suspected of sexually abusing girls, including one who was 12 years old and a 13-year-old who he sexually abused on camera, The Mercury News reports.
This isn’t the first time Wynne has been charged with a crime, in 2018 prosecutors suspect he was involved in “human trafficking” and that he sold cocaine while armed and has requested a 12-year prison sentence. His defense attorney convinced the judge to allow him to go home on supervised release in lieu of a prison sentence, but once home, prosecutors allege he started grooming young girls.
Justin Eichorn — former Republican Minnesota state senator
After authoring an anti-trans sports bill that would require a genital check from a physician if there was a dispute about a student athlete’s “female sex,” Republican state lawmaker Justin Eichorn was arrested on March 18, 2024, for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to journalist Erin Reed.
The Minnesota state senator, who is married with four kids, is facing felony charges because Eichorn thought he was talking to a 17-year-old teenage girl, but it was actually police detectives, and now he’s being asked to resign by the Minnesota State GOP, The Guardian reports.
Eichorn was also responsible for the “Trump Derangement Syndrome” bill that sought to create a mental illness category for liberals suffering from “paranoia” in reaction to President Donald Trump.
Robert Morris — Donald Trump's former spiritual advisor
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Robert Morris, a former megachurch pastor who served as Trump’s spiritual advisor, was indicted on five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child, stemming from allegations made by a woman he allegedly sexually abused when she was 12 years old, USA Today reports.
The felony charges stem from Cindy Clemishire’s allegations that after meeting Morris and his wife when he was 20 and she was just 11, Morris began sexually assaulting her in 1982 and it continued until 1987.
While Morris hasn’t owned up to all of the allegations, in a statement released last year, he said, "It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years ... Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area." He has since resigned from his role at the church he founded and preached at in light of the allegations against him.
Zachary Radcliff — former megachurch youth group director
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In October 2024, megachurch leader Zachary Radcliff was arraigned on multiple felonies, including sexual abuse of children, and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
The former youth group director, who has aligned himself with MAGA conservatism by posting photos of himself in MAGA merch and posing for a photo with Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle at CPAC, appeared in court in March 2025 where the judge “added nine counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 21 counts of child sexually abusive activity” after hearing several young men testify against Radcliff, CBS News reports.
Now, Radcliff faces 60 charges in all stemming from an investigation conducted by the Michigan State Police, which found evidence that he solicited child sexually abusive material from a minor, with victims ranging from 12 to 17 years old.
If that wasn’t bad enough, earlier this year it was revealed that Radcliff will be forced to remain in jail after he was caught repeatedly contacting and threatening one of his alleged victims who came forward, Michigan Live reports.
Pete Hegseth — Republican secretary of defense
After his nomination was announced, Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced questions about an alleged sexual assault he was accused of. While Hegseth claims the encounter was consensual, a 22-page report contains accounts from not only the victim, but a hotel staff member, a nurse, and a witness, the BBC reports.
Despite this, Hegseth was confirmed as defense secretary, and since taking on the position, he has enacted what The Advocate calls “one of the most sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ military policies in recent history.” Hegseth ordered a pause on gender-affirming medical care procedures for all transgender service members, and banned new enlistments of individuals with a history of gender dysphoria.
Matt Gaetz — former Republican congressman
Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House and withdrew from consideration to lead the Justice Department — he was Trump’s first pick for the position — in anticipation of a House Ethics Committee report being released from its investigation into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking and statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl.
Despite Gaetz claiming that the committee no longer had jurisdiction to release the report after he resigned, the report was released and found that there was evidence of Gaetz broke House rules as well as state and federal laws by soliciting prostitution, committing statutory rape, using illicit drugs, accepting “impermissible gifts,” and obstructing Congress, among other charges, NPR reports.
Charles Herbster — former Nebraska gubernatorial candidate
Back in 2022, Trump put his name and reputation on the line when he endorsed Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster.
In the midst of the race for the governor’s office, allegations surfaced that Herbster, who made his millions selling bull semen, had sexually assaulted eight women. When Trump was told about the allegations by his aides, the President refused to withdraw his support for Herbster, Politico reported at the time.
And yet, despite Trump’s endorsement, Herbster lost the GOP primary.
John Jessup — Republican commissioner of Hancock, Indiana
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Just days after winning the election for commissioner of Hancock, Indiana, John Jessup pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually assault his daughter at a celebration of her 21st birthday in Las Vegas.
Multiple witnesses came forward and told authorities that Jessup got his daughter so intoxicated that she needed a wheelchair to get back to her hotel room. According to The Guardian, authorities wrote in an affidavit that his daughter remembered taking a shower while still clothed and then waking up naked as her father was sexually assaulting her.
After posting a $100,000 bond, Jessup decided to keep his name on the ballot and sat home under house arrest while waiting for the results of the election. Unlike Trump, who was able to hold onto his place in the Oval Office despite being convicted on 34 felony charges before being elected President, Jessup was forced to resign after he won the election.
Ray Holmberg — Retired North Dakota Republican state senator
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Later this month, retired Republican state senator Ray Holmberg will be sentenced after pleading guilty in August 2024 to traveling to Europe to pay with the intent to have sex with a minor under the age of 18 and with receiving child sex abuse images. The North Dakota Republican faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, the North Dakota Monitor reports.
Holmberg, who resigned from the North Dakota senate after federal investigators searched his home in 2021, was part of the state’s Republican Party that back in 2020 claimed LGBTQ+ people “recruit” children and “prey” on women, and argued that LGBTQ+ equality would adversely affect straight and cisgender people, according PinkNews.
Madison Cawthorn — former Republican congressman
At age 26 outspoken MAGA evangelist Madison Cawthorn became the youngest member of Congress, but quickly faced allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by several women stemming from his time in college, NPR reports.
The representative who attended the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot, ended up losing his reelection primary after the Republican Party turned against him, except for Trump, who stubbornly continued to endorse Cawthorn despite his many scandals.
Tom Reed — former Republican congressman
GOP Congressman Tom Reed, who endorsed Trump for president in 2016, resigned in 2022 after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a female lobbyist who claimed the New York representative rubbed her back, unhooked her bra, and put his hand on her thigh all without consent.
Nicolette Davis told the Washington Post that she was only 25 and on a networking trip when the incident occurred and she was forced to ask someone sitting next to her for help when Reed started inching his hand up her thigh.