Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign said it made a mistake in accepting donations from Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s lawyers and would be returning them.
The campaign said it would give back $7,200 from Alexandra Walsh and $2,800 from Beth Wilkinson after the Guardian inquired about the contributions. The South Bend, Indiana, mayor’s team added that it has already returned $3,150 of Walsh’s donation because it exceeded limits.
“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 in a statement.
A spokesperson for the campaign added: “[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. Accordingly, we will be returning this contribution and others from this firm.”
Wilkinson has donated to other Democrats this election cycle, including contributions of $1,000 to Sen. Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and $2,800 to Sen. Michael Bennet. She also gave $2,800 to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a critic of Kavanaugh, who has since dropped out of the 2020 race. Walsh is also a frequent donor to Democrats.
Their law firm, Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz, represented Kavanaugh when he was a nominee for the Supreme Court and had been accused by Christine Blasey Ford of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school.
