It wasn’t a good opening day for Brett Kavanaugh
Tuesday was the most important day of Kavanaugh’s professional life. As Donald Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, the eyes of the political world were squarely on his appearance before the U.S. Senate.
But it was a decidedly human moment that could end up making the biggest impression.
During a break in the hearing, Fred Guttenberg attempted to shake Kavanaugh’s hand. Guttenberg is the father of Jamie Guttenberg, who was murdered during the Parkland mass shooting earlier this year.
In a shocking moment, Kavanaugh paused to look at Guttenberg before turning his back and walking away before a security guard quickly stepped in between the two men.
Photo by Saul Loeb/Getty Images.
Photo by Brandan Smilowski/Getty Images.
The moment was as strange as it was shocking.
Twitter quickly erupted in understandable outrage.
In a follow-up tweet, Guttenberg made it clear this wasn’t an attempted political stunt, even if that’s what it has rapidly evolved into.
No matter what Brett Kavanaugh thinks about gun laws, or how nervous he might have been in the moment, there’s no excuse for turning his back on someone who literally just offered his hand in greeting.