Rebecca Wanzo, associate professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in Arts & Sciences and associate director of the Center for Humanities
By now we are accustomed to the scene: a male politician or celebrity stands accused of sexual misconduct and his wife is a stoic, supportive presence beside him.
Whether viewers read them as sincere or not, we know the answers in the Fox News interview Brett Kavanaugh did with his wife must have been heavily scripted.
Kavanaugh and his handlers undoubtedly formulated a strategy to feature his wife alongside him in their joint interview.
This choice is an extension of a strategy we have seen even before the accusations against Kavanaugh emerged late in the confirmation process. Kavanaugh stands poised to be the justice who will cement an anti-abortion rights court. With images of him with his wife, daughters, law clerks, and young female basketball players, he is framed as a man who supports women and their futures.
Read the full piece in CNN.