On Monday 24 September 2018, Brett Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court Justice nominee, and his wife Ashley, were interviewed on Fox News by Martha MacCallum. What follows is partial analysis regarding several crucial nonverbal displays by Kavanaugh.
MARTHA MACCALLUM (beginning at 12:17): So you are going to be pressed on - something that you just said about, people do things in high school - and - you were all drinking. Were there times when perhaps when you drank so much - was there ever a time that you drank so much, that you couldn't remember what happened the night before?
BRETT KAVANAUGH: No. Ah, that never happened.
MARTHA MACCALLUM: You never said to anyone, 'I don't remember anything about last night?'
BRETT KAVANAUGH: No. That did not happen.
As Ms. MacCullum says, "So you are going to be pressed on ...", Kavanaugh displays a hard swallow (12:19 - 12:20). This is a common and significant anxiety display.
Just after Ms. MacCullum says, "... something that you just said about, people do things in high school", Brett Kavanaugh's mouth reconfigures his mouth in a tight Forward Lip Purse.
A forward lip purse (not to be confused with a lateral lip purse) indicates the withholding of information (e.g., a clandestine disagreement or a hidden plan). If one is expecting or presuming honesty, a forward lip purse should NEVER be displayed by a witness or interview type setting. This cannot be overemphasized. You'll note that Brett Kavanaugh displayed a forward lip purse frequently during this interview as well as during his previous Senate testimony.
Next, watch carefully as Brett Kavanaugh responds to Ms. MacCullum's questions, as he says,
"No. Ah, that never happened." (during 12:33 - 12:35)
as well as
"No. That did not happen." (during 12:38 - 12:40)
Kavanaugh nods his head up-and-down. This nonverbal illustrator is contradictory to his denials. In the face of refuting accusations (e.g. "No"), he should have shook his head side-to-side. This nonverbal disparity is highly indicative of deception.
This dynamic cannot be captured in a still image, please watch the video to view it in full context.
The image immediately above shows Brett Kavanaugh during 12:40, just after he denies, for the second time, drinking so heavily such that he would have no memory. Note the expression on his face:
• Central forehead elevated
• Inner (medial) eyebrows raised
• Eyes opened wide (upper eyelids opened significantly wider than baseline)
• Tightened mouth opening
• Down-turned corners of his mouth
This is an expression of fear.
SUMMARY: Brett Kavanaugh is withholding information. He has a high level of anxiety as well as fear. Most importantly, he's being deceptive.
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Body Language Analysis No. 4287: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - Why Do We Kiss with Our Eyes' Closed (most of the time)
Body Language and Medical Analysis No. 4221: Why are Donald Trump's Pupils So Large?
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