As two women have now come forward and said that they were sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Republicans are taking a public stand of their own: they do not care. More than just that, they are reframing sexual assault as a kind of adolescent rite of passage. Pay attention: The powerful men are outing themselves.
Last week, an unnamed White House lawyer told Politico, “If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried.” Fox News contributor Ari Fleisher recently asked, “How accountable are we for high school actions, when this is clearly a disputable high school action? Former Congressman Joe Walsh tweeted, “And remember this: If stupid, bad, or drunken behavior as a minor back in high school were the standard, every male politician in Washington, DC would fail. Every single one. Hypocrites.” On Sunday, rightwing radio host Erick Erickson tweeted, “I gotta think there are a lot of suburban mothers horrified that one day their innocent son could be accused and presumed guilty of false claims.”