ON SECOND THOUGHT

Pete Buttigieg Hands Back Donations From Brett Kavanaugh’s Lawyers

A spokesperson said the money was accepted in error and that the justice “should have never been put on the Supreme Court.”

Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign has decided to return thousands of dollars in donations from two lawyers who represented Brett Kavanaugh. The South Bend mayor's campaign was handed $7,200 from Alexandra Walsh and $2,800 from Beth Wilkinson, Walsh’s law partner. Both represented Kavanaugh in his controversial confirmation hearing. When The Guardian asked the campaign about the donations, it said it had mistakenly overlooked the lawyers’ role in the Kavanaugh case. “With nearly 700,000 donors, a contribution we would otherwise refuse sometimes gets through. We believe the women who have courageously spoken out about Brett Kavanaugh’s assault and misconduct, and we thank The Guardian for bringing this contribution to our attention,” the campaign said. A spokesperson added that Kavanaugh “should have never been put on the Supreme Court” and the money will be returned. The law firm Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz represented Kavanaugh when Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when they both were students.