Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign said it will return thousands of dollars in donations from two female lawyers who represented Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation hearings.
The move comes after The Guardian reported Wednesday that the South Bend, Indiana, mayor’s campaign received $7,200 from Alexandra Walsh and $2,800 from Ms. Walsh’s law partner, Beth Wilkinson. The campaign said that while $3,150 of Ms. Walsh’s donation had already been returned because it exceeded limits, the rest would also be returned to both women because of their connections to Justice Kavanaugh.
“With nearly 700,000 donors, a contribution we would otherwise refuse sometimes gets through,” the campaign spokesperson told The Guardian. “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.
“[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,” the spokesperson added. “Accordingly, we will be returning this contribution and others from this firm.”
Neither Ms. Walsh nor Ms. Wilkinson responded to The Guardian’s requests for comment on the campaign’s decision.
Other 2020 Democrats who have received donations from Ms. Wilkinson include Sens. Kamala D. Harris of California and Michael Bennet of Colorado, who also did not respond to the U.K. paper’s requests for comment.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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