Parkland father confronts Kavanaugh at hearing

The father of a student killed in the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., said Tuesday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh refused to shake his hand when he tried to introduce himself at his Senate confirmation hearing.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, tweeted that he tried to meet Kavanaugh and shake his hand during a break on the first day of Kavanaugh’s hearings.

“Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended,” Guttenberg said. “Put out my hand to introduce myself as Jaime Guttenberg’s dad. He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away. I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violence.”

{mosads}White House spokesman Raj Shah pushed back on Guttenberg’s claims, describing the interaction as “an unidentified individual” approaching Kavanaugh.

“As Judge Kavanaugh left for his lunch break, an unidentified individual approached him,” Shah wrote in a tweet responding to Guttenberg. “Before the judge was able to shake his hand, security had intervened.”

Guttenberg doubled down in response to Shah, saying that he was introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

“Incorrect. I was here all day and introduced by Senator Feinstein,” Guttenberg tweeted. “No security involved. He turned and walked away.” 

Guttenberg has been a vocal advocate for gun control since the shooting, and has called out a number of Republican lawmakers for their record on guns.

Kavanaugh, whose confirmation hearings began Tuesday, is likely to come under scrutiny over his views on gun rights during the hearing, as gun control advocates have raised concerns about his past rulings.

The former D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judge, nominated by President Trump to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, dissented with the D.C. Circuit’s 2011 decision to uphold a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

The National Rifle Association also spent upwards of $1 million to support Kavanaugh’s nomination, touting him as a potential tie-breaker on gun rights.