Getty Brett Kavanaugh refuses to shake Fred Guttenberg's hand at hearing.
Brett Kavanaugh is under fire after refusing to shake hands with Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jaime Guttenberg, a victim of the February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Guttenberg said he walked up to Kavanaugh after the morning portion of the hearing ended, introduced himself and stuck out his hand for a handshake. He said the judge then walked away from him without returning the greeting.
Wow, here’s Kavanaugh giving @fred_guttenberg a contemptuous look before turning his back on him. Guttenberg’s daughter was killed in the Parkland gun massacre
Watch as Fred Guttenberg, father of Jamie Guttenberg, a Parkland shooting victim, tried to shake hands with Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, during a lunch break. Kavanaugh did not shake his hand. Video posted by Jeremy Art.
“Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended. 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,” Guttenberg tweeted.
The video is making rounds on Twitter, with several users slamming Kavanaugh for the “contemptuous look” he allegedly gave Guttenberg before turning his back on him. An Associate Press reporter also snapped a picture of the encounter, which can be seen below.
Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jamie Guttenberg who was killed in the shooting in Parkland, Fla., left, tries to shake hands with @realDonaldTrump‘s Supreme Court nom., Brett Kavanaugh, right, during a lunch break. Kavanaugh did not shake his hand. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) @ap
Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended. 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.
“This shows us everything we need to know about Kavanaugh even if you don’t agree you need to at least show this man the respect he deserves what would McCain do,” one user wrote.
“This shows us everything we need to know about Kavanaugh even if you don’t agree you need to at least show this man the respect he deserves what would McCain do,” another wrote.
User MJ wrote: “He went from smiles to straight cold blooded facial expression to a father who lost his daughter. This man like the rest of the gop are pure evil sob’s!”
Fred Guttenberg (L), father of Parkland, Florida, shooting victim Jaime Guttenberg, tries to speak with Judge Brett Kavanaugh as he leaves for a break during his US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 4, 2018. – President Donald Trump’s newest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to face punishing questioning from Democrats this week over his endorsement of presidential immunity and his opposition to abortion. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
However, several users also jumped to Kavanaugh’s defense, claiming that it was an inappropriate time for Guttenberg to try to talk to Kavanaugh, and many accused Guttenberg of “grandstanding.”
“This is silly. Sorry, I’m on your side, but it is not appropriate for a member of the audience to approach the nominee like that in a hearing. I don’t blame Kavanagh for walking away. Save your outrage for things that matter,” one user wrote in the comments.
“We are in a republic. There is nothing liberal about a democracy. And yes, it’s bad form to approach. Just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should,'” another user wrote.