Brett Kavanaugh says he 'grew up in a city plagued by gun violence.' He didn't.

Brett Kavanaugh answers a question about weapons during his hearing.

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Martin Cizmar)

published 5 September 2018

Brett Kavanaugh says he grew up surrounded by violence and despair, and it apparently shaped him into the Supreme Court nominee he is today.

Except Kavanaugh didn't grow up in his birthplace of Washington, D.C., a place he called the "murder capital of the world" during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. He spent his childhood in the very rich, very well-educated suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.

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It's true that Washington has a rough record when it comes to crime. But Kavanaugh spent his younger days nestled in Bethesda, a city that now boasts high household incomes and education rates. During Kavanaugh's childhood, Montgomery County, where Bethesda is located, recorded violent crime rates far below the rest of the D.C. area. And even today, Bethesda sees far less crime than all of Washington — and the entire United States.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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