Brett Kavanaugh is under intense scrutiny for interrupting his wife amid sexual assault accusations.

Fox News/YouTube

Twitter is taking aim at Brett Kavanaugh for interrupting his wife on Fox News

'I really wanted to hear Ashley Kavanaugh's answer to that question. I'm sure I'm not the only one.'

 

Ana Valens

IRL

Posted on Sep 25, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 5:44 am CDT

Judge Brett Kavanaugh categorically denied two sexual assault allegations haunting his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the anticipated Kavanaugh interview Fox News last night. And in an ironic twist, he’s now facing intense scrutiny for talking over his wife about whether there should be an investigation into the sexual abuse claims.

During the interview, anchor Martha MacCallum asked Kavanaugh and his wife, Ashley Kavanaugh, about the assault allegations and the confirmation process’ impact on the couple. Ashley Kavanaugh repeatedly defended her husband. Judge Kavanaugh went so far as to claim that he did not have sexual intercourse in high school “or for many years thereafter.”

Yet when MacCallum fielded a question to his wife about whether there should be an FBI investigation into the sexual abuse allegations, her husband immediately interrupted her.

“Do you believe there should be an FBI investigation into these allegations and that a pause should happen and, you know, sort it all out?” MacCallum asked, the New York Times reports. “If there’s nothing to worry about and nothing to hide, why not have that process, Ashley? And then I’ll ask you that, Brett.”

“I mean, I’ve said all along and Ashley, too, I want to be heard,” Kavanaugh replied, cutting off his wife as she was about to speak. “I was first interviewed last Monday, the day after the allegation appeared by the committee staff under penalty of felony, and I denied this categorically and unequivocally and I said twice during that, I said, ‘I want a hearing tomorrow,’ last Tuesday, a week ago.”

Kavanaugh interrupts his wife, denies assault allegations in interview

The moment quickly went viral after University of Alabama Law Professor Joyce Alene tweeted about the segment early Tuesday morning, pointing out that Kavanaugh’s reluctance to let his wife speak suggests a much deeper problem he has with respecting women’s right to their own opinions.

“Brett Kavanaugh cutting off his wife Ashley so she couldn’t answer a question put to her about whether there should be an FBI investigation was everything I needed to know about his attitude towards women,” Alene wrote on Twitter. Her tweet has since earned over 5,000 retweets and over 18,000 likes.

MSNBC pundit Lawrence O’Donnell echoed Alene’s tweet, calling it “the most important moment” in the interview.

“Brett Kavanaugh would not allow Ashley Kavanaugh to answer that question,” O’Donnell explained. “I really wanted to hear Ashley Kavanaugh’s answer to that question. I’m sure I’m not the only one. But Brett Kavanaugh wasn’t gonna let that happen.”

https://twitter.com/drmiasmith/status/1044477430747070465

Others pointed out that the New York Times’ interview transcript doesn’t do justice to the Kavanaughs’ behavior during the interview. Some pointed out that Ashley Kavanaugh’s body language looked uncomfortable. Others noted that Judge Kavanaugh’s tone seemed snobbishly dismissive to incredibly serious allegations.

Accusations first appeared against Judge Kavanaugh after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) revealed a sexual assault accusation penned by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford against the Supreme Court nominee. Kavanaugh has repeatedly claimed that he possesses a calendar that he kept in high school that would delegitimize any allegations against him from that time.

A second woman, Deborah Ramirez, alleges that Kavanaugh exposed his penis while the two were classmates at Yale. Performer Stormy Daniels‘ lawyer Michael Avenatti claims that he represents a third woman with “credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge.”

Ford is set to testify this Thursday in an open hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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*First Published: Sep 25, 2018, 7:32 am CDT