Father of Parkland victim says Kavanaugh would not shake his hand at Supreme Court confirmation hearing

Fred Guttenberg approached the Supreme Court nominee after the morning session.

September 4, 2018, 4:20 PM
Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jamie Guttenberg who was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., left, attempts to shake hands with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, right, as he leaves for a lunch break while appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 4, 2018.
Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jamie Guttenberg who was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., left, attempts to shake hands with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, right, as he leaves for a lunch break while appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 4, 2018.
Andrew Harnik/AP

The father of a student killed in the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh refused to shake his hand during a break in today's confirmation hearing.

Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime Guttenberg died in the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, attended the hearing to listen to discussions on the Second Amendment, he wrote on Twitter.

PHOTO: Fred Guttenberg, left, attempts to shake hands with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh as he leaves for a lunch break while appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 4, 2018.
Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jamie Guttenberg who was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., left, attempts to shake hands with President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, right, as he leaves for a lunch break while appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 4, 2018.
Andrew Harnik/AP

Video from the hearing shows Guttenberg approaching Kavanaugh as he stood up to leave, stretching out his arm for a handshake as Kavanaugh turned to look at him.

Kavanaugh then turns the other way without a word and walks away, his security detail following closely behind.

Guttenberg wrote on Twitter that, as the morning session ended, he "walked up to Judge Kavanaugh" and attempted to introduce himself "as Jaime Guttenberg's dad."

"He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away," Guttenberg wrote. "I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violence."

Protesters began interrupting about an hour after chairman Chuck Grassley gaveled in the hearing. It is unclear from the video whether Kavanaugh had heard Guttenberg after he fully identified himself.

PHOTO: A protester is removed from a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 4, 2018.
A protester is removed from a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 4, 2018.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters

White House Press Secretary Raj Shah tweeted that Kavanaugh was leaving for his lunch break when an "unidentified individual approached him."

"Before the Judge was able to shake his hand, security had intervened," Shah wrote.

Guttenberg made his concerns about gun violence clear just days after his daughter was killed.

PHOTO: Fred Guttenberg watches a monitor honoring the 17 students and teachers who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, during a town hall meeting on Feb. 21, 2018, in Sunrise, Fla.
Fred Guttenberg watches a monitor honoring the 17 students and teachers who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, during a town hall meeting on Feb. 21, 2018, in Sunrise, Fla.
TNS via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Jaime Guttenberg was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and was killed when former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the school Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.
Jaime Guttenberg was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and was killed when former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the school Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.
Abbie Youkilis via AP

During a vigil two days after the shooting, Guttenberg told mourners that he couldn't remember he told Jaime he loved her that morning before she left for school.

"Don't tell me there is no such thing as gun violence," he said, describing his family as "broken."

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