Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh declined over $600,000 that was raised for he and his family after the controversial battle in his confirmation hearings.
Kavanaugh cited judicial ethics concerns as he turned the generous offer down. He said that he appreciated the sentiment but ethics rules kept him from accepting the funds.
Joshua Hawkins, a well-known conservative, organized the GoFundMe campaign.
Kavanaugh’s statement read:
“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.”
After Kavanaugh declined the funds, Hawkins wrote:
“When the money started coming in for this GoFundMe, it was at a crucial point in the confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh. The mainstream media was doing everything in its power to destroy him; Democrats were going all-in to stop him and whether he’d be confirmed or not was really up in the air. When it mattered most, over 13,000 people stood up for a good man who was being attacked. We sent a message not just to the media and the Republicans in the Senate who needed to stiffen their spines, but to the Kavanaugh team when it really mattered.
The last thing any of us want is for our attempt to help Judge Kavanaugh’s family to be used against him. Given the strictness of the ethics rules and the possibility that the Judge could get in trouble if he’s tied to this in any way, I made it clear that we wouldn’t want a public “Thank you” that could potentially be used against him.”