Chris Cuomo: Kavanaugh intentionally didn’t shake Parkland dad’s hand

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo on Tuesday said that a tense moment between President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the father of a Parkland, Fla., school shooting victim ended with Kavanaugh recognizing the man and having him whisked away by security.

In an interview on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” the CNN journalist said that viewers should judge for themselves what had happened in the now-viral video that shows Kavanaugh turn and walk away from Fred Guttenberg attempting to shake his hand at the hearing.

{mosads}”I believe you will see the judge recognize the man and the gesture. He does nothing. Turns away. And then security escorts him,” Cuomo told Meyers. “[But] the White House says I’m completely wrong, that the video is clear evidence of the judge wanting to connect, not having time because he was whisked away by security.”

Meyers and Cuomo then showed the clip, with Meyers commenting that it “did not seem like [Kavanaugh] made a good decision” to ignore Guttenberg, who says he wanted to speak with Trump’s nominee on the issue of gun violence.

“The father of one of the kids who was murdered at Parkland reaches out his hand, says his name, and you don’t shake their hand?” Cuomo continued. “Now, first thing we have to do is give the judge an ability to explain, OK? What was your understanding of it? Why did it happen that way?”

Cuomo went on, calling the video “the ‘don’t believe your lying eyes’ stuff that comes out of the White House … That was clear evidence that it wasn’t the judge turning away from a man with their outreached hand? I mean, it’s just crazy talk.”

A White House spokesman in a statement referred to Guttenberg as an “unidentified” individual who had sought to speak with Kavanaugh during a recess Tuesday, adding that the man was removed by security before Kavanaugh could act.

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

But Guttenberg has contested the White House’s version of events.

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