Powerhouse Feminist Lawyer Unexpectedly Backs Roger Ailes

Shockwaves went through feminist and legal circles last month when Susan Estrich, a pioneer advocate for women’s legal rights, was added to the team defending Roger Ailes, founder and former chief executive of Fox News Channel. Ailes has been accused of decades of sexual harassment and predatory behavior. Two dozen women have joined former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson in alleging that Ailes offered professional advancement in exchange for sex, creating a chorus of negative press that led to Ailes’ resignation. Estrich made strides in lawsuits alleging rape and sexual misconduct, and was the first woman to manage a major-party presidential candidate’s campaign, supporting Democrat Michael Dukakis’s effort in 1988. Estrich and Ailes met while negotiating the terms of the presidential debates that year, and she served as a commenter on Fox News for years. “The man described by the media is simply not the man I know,” Estrich told the Washington Post. “I don’t think anyone in the business has done more to promote the careers of women than Roger.”