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White House Blames Kavanaugh’s Refusal to Shake Hand of Parkland Victim’s Father on ‘Security’ – Not What Video Shows

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White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah is offering what appear to be “alternative facts” in an attempt to rebut the accusation that Judge Brett Kavanaugh this afternoon refused to shake the hand of the father of a school mass shooting victim.

For nearly two months Shah has been on the White House’s team working to get Judge Kavanaugh confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. So it’s not surprising he quickly intercepted a tweet from Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jaime Guttenberg, a student who was murdered on Valentine’s Day in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting.

Guttenberg tweeted that he introduced himself to Kavanaugh just after the morning session of the Judiciary Committee’s hearing Tuesday concluded for lunch. And, he says, Kavanaugh refused to shake his hand, turned, and walked away.

Shah says that’s not what happened. And he blames “security” for stopping an “unidentified person” from getting to Kavanaugh.

The only problem is photographic and video evidence appear to prove Shah incorrect.

Here’s an AP photographer’s photo of that moment:

But the most damning piece of evidence is this video, posted by NBC News. The clip repeats, in slow motion the second time. Watching it several times makes it seem clear Kavanaugh intentionally refused to interact with Guttenberg.

But even worse, perhaps, is the look on Kavanaugh’s face: stone cold.

Watch:

 

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News

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Supreme Court ‘Most Corrupt in American History’

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6 months ago

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June 24, 2024

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the Supreme Court the “most corrupt in American history” in a video posted to X on Monday.

The video was posted on the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization. The decision overturned Roe v. Wade which guaranteed the right to an abortion. Ocasio-Cortez was speaking at a Biden-Harris campaign event focused on reproductive justice.

“Two years since six conservative justices topped Roe v. Wade, since our right to choose was taken from us, and pregnant women and people across the country have had their lives at risk. It’s been two years since our freedom over our bodies was seized by the most corrupt Supreme Court in American History,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Ocasio-Cortez has previously warned of a “crisis of legitimacy” over the Court, according to The Guardian. And it’s not just her. In a September 2023 Gallup poll, Americans’ approval rating of the Supreme Court is only one percentage point away from the record low.  Only 41% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court’s performance. That record low — 40% — was from September 2021, about the exact same Court.

READ MORE: ‘Injustice’: Experts Condemn Supreme Court’s ‘Fundamentally Corrupt’ Trump Decision

The Court has had a number of recent scandals as well. Justice Samuel Alito said in May he wouldn’t recuse himself from cases about the 2020 election, even though his wife had raised an upside-down American flag three days before Biden’s inauguration. The upside-down flag, an international symbol for distress, is linked with the  “stop the steal” movement that alleges Trump actually won the 2020 election. And this month, comments from a leaked audio recording saw many experts painting Alito as a “Christian nationalist.”

Chief Justice John Roberts has rejected requests from Senate Democrats to discuss whether Alito should be recused from election cases. Roberts said that justices themselves make the decision whether or not to recuse, not the Court — and that Roberts saw nothing about the flags posted at Alito’s homes that would require him to recuse himself.

Justice Clarence Thomas has always been controversial, from his initial hearings where he was accused of sexual harassment. Thomas has faced additional criticism recently over taking undeclared trips paid for by billionaire Harlan Crow.

The Supreme Court is expected to make a number of major decisions this week, including whether or not former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in cases alleging election interference.

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SUPREME DIS

Look: Father of Murdered Parkland Shooting Student Just Tried to Shake Kavanaugh’s Hand. Kavanaugh Refused.

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6 years ago

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September 4, 2018

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Fred Guttenberg says Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh just refused to even shake his hand. That claim was supported by an Associated Press journalist (below). Guttenberg’s daughter Jaime was murdered on February 14 during the massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. 17 students and staff were shot to death, another 17 were wounded.

“Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended,” Guttenberg said via his verified Twitter account just after 1 PM Tuesday. “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, who was in the gallery as a guest of Senator Dianne Feinstein, surmised.

AP photojournalist Andrew Harnik captured the moment:

Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee began Tuesday morning. Democrats have opposed the rush to begin the hearings given the more than one hundred thousand documents that have been blocked from their review.

UPDATE: NEW VIDEO – 
WHITE HOUSE BLAMES KAVANAUGH’S REFUSAL TO SHAKE HAND OF PARKLAND VICTIM’S FATHER ON ‘SECURITY’ – NOT WHAT VIDEO SHOWS

Here’s video (challenging to hear) posted by Shareblue’s Tommy Christopher:

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, who was the first to interject seconds into the start of Kavanaugh’s hearing earlier this morning, retweeted Guttenberg’s post. She added this comment:

Parkland victim turned activist David Hogg:

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell:

More:

RELATED:
‘TAINTED FOREVER’: CHAIRMAN REFUSES TO ALLOW ANY DEMOCRATIC SENATORS’ MOTIONS DURING KAVANAUGH HEARING

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