Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh fell into tens of thousands of dollars worth of credit card debt because of money he spent buying Washington Nationals baseball tickets over the past decade.
Kavanaugh also reported liabilities that exceeded the value of his total assets, according to financial disclosures released by the White House.
News of the disclosures was first reported by The Washington Post.
Raj Shah, a White House spokesperson, told the Post that Kavanaugh accrued the debts buying up tickets for himself as well as ‘friends.’
The White House says that his friends reimbursed him for the tickets and that the judge no longer is a Nationals season ticket subscriber.
In his most recent disclosure form, Kavanaugh reported relatively modest assets worth between $15,000 and $65,000.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh fell into tens of thousands of dollars worth of credit card debt because of money he spent buying Washington Nationals baseball tickets over the past decade
Raj Shah, a White House spokesperson, told the Post that Kavanaugh accrued the debts buying up tickets for himself as well as ‘friends,’ who reimbursed him. The above image shows Mark Reynolds and Spencer Kieboom of the Nats during a game at Nationals Park in DC
If he is confirmed to the bench, it would make him one of the poorest justices on the Supreme Court.
With the exception of Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy, all nine current justices on the Supreme Court have a net worth of at least $1.5million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
It should be noted that the value of Kavanaugh’s home is not subject to disclosure, and the judge also has a government retirement account worth almost $500,000 that also does not need to be disclosed, according to Shah.
Instead, he has spent his entire judicial career working in the public sector.
‘Judge Kavanaugh is a brilliant jurist who has dedicated his life to public service,’ Shah said.
In 2006, Kavanaugh and his wife, Ashley, bought a home for $1.2million, according to public records.
In 2006, Kavanaugh and his wife, Ashley, bought a home for $1.2million, according to public records. From left to right: Ashley Estes Kavanaugh; her daughters Margaret and Liza; Brett Kavanaugh; and President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday
Since then, they have refinanced the home twice – most recently in 2015.
The current mortgage for the home is $865,000.
Unlike the other justices on the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh has not worked in private practice, where it is easier to amass wealth as an attorney.
According to disclosures filed for 2016, Kavanaugh reported accrued debt of between $60,000 to $200,000 spread out over three credit card accounts and a personal loan.
The Post reported that Kavanaugh incurred between $15,000 to $50,000 in credit card debt for each account as well as a Thrift Savings Plan loan between $15,000 to $50,000.
In 2017, the credit card debts and loans were either paid off or fell below the reporting requirements.
Kavanaugh returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a whirlwind round of meetings with key Republican senators as Democrats ramped up efforts to block his confirmation.
Kavanaugh, the conservative appellate court judge and President Donald Trump’s choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, was meeting separately with at least five members of the Judiciary Committee.
The panel will launch confirmation hearings later this summer.
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who had conferred with Trump on making his second pick for the court, called the Yale-educated judge ‘a very fine man’ and told reporters he expects Kavanaugh’s confirmation to go well.