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A GoFundMe page created to raise funds for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has raised more than $500,000 in eight days.
John Hawkins, who runs the conservative news site Right Wing News, created the GoFundMe. Hawkins said he started the account because he is "disgusted" by how Kavanaugh – who has been accused of sexual misconduct while he was in high school and college – and his family have been treated throughout the confirmation process.
The FBI is conducting an investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh, which could conclude as early as today.
"We live in a country where innocent until proven guilty is supposed to mean something; yet Brett Kavanaugh's reputation is being dragged through the mud while his family is facing non-stop death threats," Hawkins wrote on the GoFundMe page.
While testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Kavanaugh said his family has been "permanently destroyed."
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Hawkins said the Kavanaugh family can use the funds to pay for security or "however they see fit."
He said he has been in contact with a staffer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, who was "extremely appreciative" of the donations. Hawkins said he doesn't know if the Kavanaugh family is aware of the GoFundMe page. As of Wednesday, the crowd fundraiser had raised $540,162 toward its $550,000 goal, with more than 11,000 people contributing.
Ethical guidelines for judges don’t specifically detail donations from GoFundMe, where donors can remain anonymous, but Hawkins said he did consult a lawyer about the campaign and was told Kavanaugh could accept the money. The GoFundMe page says if the money does not go to the family, it will be donated to a charity of their choice.
In a blog post for Right Wing News published over the weekend, Hawkins wrote that the number of donations the account has received shows how strong support is for Kavanaugh.
"Money talks and seeing the numbers swell up on a GoFundMe is proof that there are a lot of people other than talking heads on Twitter backing Kavanaugh," Hawkins wrote.
A GoFundMe for Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford has raised a similar amount, clocking in at $528,500 worth of donations in two weeks.
Hawkins wrote that some of his support for Kavanaugh is rooted in the idea that if the judge can be found guilty, "Why not any man?" or "Why not any Republican?"
"If a man who been through six FBI background checks and has by all accounts led a good and virtuous life can be destroyed by little more than an accusation without evidence, then what chance do other men have in that same situation?" Hawkins told USA TODAY.
Hawkins' comments echo those made this week by President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, he declared it was a "very scary time" for young men in America.
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