Kavanaugh declines handshake with father of shooting victim

WASHINGTON — A man whose teenage daughter was killed in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting tried to shake the hand of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a break in Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jamie died in the February 2018 attack, approached Kavanaugh after he rose from the witness table for a lunch break. He put out his hand to Kavanaugh, who paused for a moment before turning away as a security guard stepped in.

Afterward, Guttenberg tweeted that Kavanaugh “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.”

White House spokesman Raj Shah said security intervened before Kavanaugh could shake the hand of the “unidentified individual.” He shared a video clip of the moment, saying it showed that “as the Judge was leaving and had already turned away and begun walking, security intervened and ushered the Judge away.”

Guttenberg pushed back on Twitter, saying: “Incorrect. I was here all day and introduced by Senator Feinstein. No security involved. He turned and walked away.”

After the encounter, Capitol Police talked with Guttenberg. He was again sitting in the hearing room for the afternoon session.

The Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 people dead.