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: