Parkland father: Kavanaugh asked security to kick me out of hearing

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland shooting, said he was “certain” that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh asked security to remove him from the confirmation hearing after Guttenberg tried to speak with him.

Guttenberg said earlier Tuesday that he approached Kavanaugh during the lunch break to introduce himself, and Kavanaugh “pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away.”

“As soon as I said [my daughter was] ‘murdered in Parkland,’ he just did an immediate turn and went away,” Guttenberg told CNN in an interview Tuesday night. “All he had to do was extend his hand back and say, I’m sorry for your loss, tell me about your daughter.’”

Father of Slain Parkland Teen (Fred Guttenberg) Says Not Only Did Kavanaugh Turn Away As Soon As He Mentioned His Murdered Daughter. But Kavanaugh Himself Asked Security to Remove Guttenberg and ID’d Him to Security By the Bracelets He Wears for His Daughter. pic.twitter.com/7MD66IBLk3

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) September 4, 2018

Guttenberg revealed in the interview that after the lunch break, security approached him and escorted him from the room, saying that Kavanaugh thought he “may have crossed a boundary” when he approached him.

{mosads}“I didn’t intend to … I really just put out my hand to say hello,” Guttenberg said. “I’m certain he was the one who told them to take me out because he described these bracelets that I wear on my wrist, which commemorate my daughter.”

The White House pushed back on Guttenberg’s claims earlier Tuesday, saying that security “intervened” in the interaction because it was an unidentified individual approaching Kavanaugh. But Guttenberg shot back, insisting that Kavanaugh turned and walked away of his own accord.

Guttenberg has been a vocal advocate for gun control on the national stage since the death of his daughter, Jaime.

Kavanaugh is likely to face questions in his hearing this week about his record on gun rights. He has been touted by pro-gun groups like the National Rifle Association as a potential tie-breaking vote on the Supreme Court in favor of gun rights.