South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s (D) White House campaign announced it will return donations from two attorneys who previously represented Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.
The Guardian reports lawyer Alexandra Walsh contributed $7,200 to the Buttigieg’s campaign, while Beth Wilkinson gave $2,800.
When a Guardian reporter sought comment from the campaign about the donations, it acknowledged it had accepted the funds but would immediately reverse its decision.
“With nearly 700,000 donors, a contribution we would otherwise refuse sometimes gets through,” the campaign told the left-wing British newspaper. “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.”
A Buttigieg campaign spokesperson added that Kavanaugh “should have never been put on the supreme court and this campaign will not accept donations from those who played a role in making that happen.”
Wilkinson previously donated $1,000 to Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-CA) presidential campaign and $2,800 in support of Sen. Michael Bennet’s (D-CO) longshot bid, the Guardian notes. She also gave $2,800 to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who ended her longshot bid for the White House in August.
The Washington, DC, law firm Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz began representing Kavanaugh after California professor Christine Blasey Ford brought forth decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct against the then-nominee. At the time, Walsh and Wilkinson said their client was the victim of an “outrageous” campaign. An FBI investigation cleared Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct allegations. The Senate voted 50–48 to confirm his nomination to the bench on October 6.