Brett Kavanaugh declines almost $600,000 raised via GoFundMe

On Tuesday Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh declined almost $600,000 donated via a GoFundMe page to help his family during his difficult confirmation process.

John Hawkins, the creator of the campaign, said on the page:

“Like many decent people from both parties, I have been disgusted by the unsubstantiated 36 year old smears aimed at Brett Kavanaugh. We live in a country where innocent until proven guilty is supposed to mean something; yet Brett Kavanaugh’s reputation is being dragged through the mud while his family is facing non-stop death threats.”

Over 13,000 people contributed, however, Justice Kavanaugh could not accept the donations due to judicial ethics restraints. In an official statement received by Hawkins, it was also advised that Justice Kavanaugh would not be able to suggest a suitable alternative to receive the funds.

“Justice Kavanaugh did not authorize the use of his name to raise funds in connection with the GoFundMe campaign. He was not able to do so for judicial ethics reasons. Judicial ethics rules caution judges against permitting the use of the prestige of judicial office for fund-raising purposes. Justice Kavanaugh will not accept any proceeds from the campaign, nor will he direct that any proceeds from the campaign be provided to any third party. Although he appreciates the sentiment, Justice Kavanaugh requests that you discontinue the use of his name for any fund-raising purpose.”

Since the Kavanaugh’s are unable to suggest a charity, Hawkins researched which charities they had supported in the past. He decided that the archdioceses of Washington would likely be near the top of the family’s list, so that is now where donations will be sent.