Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh turned down $600,000 raised by supporters during his brutal confirmation hearing that involved multiple uncorroborated allegations of sexual misconduct.
Yahoo! News reported that the money was raised via a GoFundMe page created by conservative blogger Josh Hawkins in September.
Though the justice appreciated the support, he ultimately declined the gift, citing concerns over judicial ethics. Kavanaugh’s decision was announced on Tuesday in a message posted on the GoFundMe page.
“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,” reads a statement sent to Hawkins by the justice’s former law clerk, Travis Lenkner. “Although he appreciates the sentiment, Justice Kavanaugh requests that you discontinue the use of his name for any fund-raising purpose.”
In the page’s latest update, Hawkins noted that he hoped the money would be used to provide protection for the newest Supreme Court justice and his family.
But, he added, in an effort to honor Kavanaugh’s wishes to be removed from the fundraising effort, he and fellow organizers have “been waiting for direction from the Judge’s family on what to do with the money and what they are saying is that they are not allowed to give us any direction at all.”
This, however, didn’t stop Hawkins. Without explicit guidance from Kavanaugh, he moved on to Plan B:
“… from the very beginning, this GoFundMe has noted that if the Kavanaugh family can’t or won’t be able to take the money, we’d give it to a charity of their choice,” he wrote. “Since they are not allowed to suggest a charity, I did some research on charities supported by the Judge and settled on the Archdiocese of Washington which runs the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO).”
Justice Kavanaugh, a father of two young girls and a faithful Catholic, has served as a CYO girls’ basketball coach for years and has participated in many charity efforts through the Archdiocese of Washington.
“… if the Kavanaugh family were allowed to support a charity, I feel confident the Archdiocese of Washington would be near the top of the list,” Hawkins wrote.
After speaking with leaders within the archdiocese about Kavanaugh’s involvement in their programs, Hawkins settled on three he believes best represent the judge: The Catholic Youth Organization, the Tuition Assistance Fund and the Victory Youth Center.
Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court by the Senate last month in a 50-48 vote. In the weeks and days leading up to the vote, he experienced a grueling confirmation hearing similar to that of Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991.
One of Kavanaugh’s accusers, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, testified against the judge, claiming he drunkenly assaulted her during their teen years, which he flatly denied.
During the confirmation process, Blasey Ford gained support from abortion giant Planned Parenthood and was even featured on the cover of TIME magazine. Multiple GoFundMe accounts were established in support of Ford, raising around $1 million in total.
In the wake of the slight upset involving Hawkins’ fundraiser, the blogger noted that those who contributed to the original campaign will have a week to get their money refunded if for some reason they do not wish to have it directed to the Catholic charity.
“Last but not least, folks, this GoFundMe has been a TREMENDOUS success,” Hawkins concluded. “We were able to show support for Judge Kavanaugh in his hour of need and raise an enormous amount of money for a charity that has obviously meant a lot to him. Everyone who contributed should be extremely proud to be a part of this.”