Senate Judiciary Committee contacts Ford's friend about party (CNN a few minutes ago)

[Amaryllis]

THey are definitely doing an investigation on Christine and trying to discredit her. Wonder if people will be afraid to come forward in her defense. Death threats are not an appealing incentive.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/22/politics/kavanaugh-ford-accuser-nomination/index.html

Washington (CNN)As the Senate Judiciary Committee staff negotiates with attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a past sexual assault, over a potential hearing on Thursday, Republican staffers are working to interview those who may have information about the alleged incident.

CNN has learned that the committee has reached out to a longtime friend of Ford named Leland Ingham Keyser.

On Saturday night, her lawyer, Howard Walsh, released a statement to CNN and the Senate Judiciary Committee..

"Simply put," Walsh said, "Ms. Keyser does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, or without, Dr. Ford."

The lawyer acknowledged to CNN that Keyser is a lifelong friend of Ford's.
Keyser is the latest person alleged to be at the party to say she has no recollection of it.
"I understand that you have been identified as an individual who was in attendance at a party that occurred circa 1982 described in a recent Washington Post article," a committee staffer wrote Keyser earlier this week.

[madguy2000]

1. Hmmm...

This seems a bit discouraging.

[Turbineguy]

2. An extra day gives the GOP

more time too.

[Amaryllis]

3. True. Double edged sword.

[hedda_foil]

4. Now how would the committee know who was there?

[Kaleva]

5. so, what's the tally of those who confirmed being there and those who denied being there?

[john657]

6. So far?

Just Dr. Ford has acknowledged being there.
Everyone else has either said they don't remember it or they weren't there.

[Alhena]

10. I'm aware of 3: Judge, the PJ guy and now this lady. Kavanaugh doesn't count

Judge and PJ are friends of his.

[Kaleva]

24. I wonder how this party came about?

If 4 of the 5 participants say they have no recollection of it and the life long friend of Dr. Christine Ford also says she does not know Kavanugh.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

7. "I understand that you have been identified as an individual

who was in attendance . . . " And exactly how did some nameless committee staffer come by this information ?

These wizened, fossilized Republican Senators need to understand something. Women are sick and tired of this dismissive, arrogant treatment.

That Blue wave they are all worried about is going to be a Blue Tsunami.

[Kaleva]

8. The staffer wasn't identified as being a Repub or Dem.

[FBaggins]

14. It was a Republican

Another part of the communication said that staff from both sides usually participate in such interviews, but that democrats had not been participating because they were pushing for the FBI to do the interviews

[Haggis for Breakfast]

17. This does NOT sound like a democrat to me.

The tone of the comment was more accusatory than inquiring.

[john657]

11. You think the GOP hasn't been investigating the allegation since it first surfaced?

They have ways of finding things out.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. Did Ford release names of people she remembered

Being there? If not the how would they know who to ask? If kavenaugh told them then he remembers to event

[PoliticAverse]

28. Yes, Ford named 4 people, this woman was apparently one of th 4 she named. n/t

[Alhena]

9. This will no doubt be the Republican talking point. And since Judge isn't being subpoeaned

there's no chance for Ford to dig deeper into his story.

[roamer65]

12. Conspiracy of silence.

[torius]

13. Not remembering is understandable.

Blasey told no one what had happened; this was just another party among many. Blasey would probably have forgotten it too had she not been attacked. Also, we don't know what else she said, or what words she used, or even what she really said at all, or if she just doesn't want to get involved in the media circus. And how did they get her name?

[FBaggins]

19. It is

I remember very little from school parties with that kind of specificity.

It is, however, upsetting that Dr Ford’s “ lifelong friend” didn’t include something like “but I’ve known Christine for as long as I can remember and believe that she’s telling the truth”

[PoliticAverse]

29. Actually she did say she believed her, see...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lawyers-for-christine-blasey-ford-say-she-has-accepted-senate-judiciary-committees-request-to-testify-against-kavanaugh/2018/09/22/e8199c6a-be8f-11e8-8792-78719177250f_story.html

a woman Ford told The Washington Post was present at the party where she alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her, came forward to say she “does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present,” according to an email her lawyer sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, obtained by The Post. In a brief interview at her home in Silver Spring, Keyser said that she did not recall the party, but that she was close friends with Ford and that she believes Ford’s allegation.

[NotASurfer]

15. Think Kavenaugh was the source?

"That party I wasn't at with my buddy...here's the other two people who weren't there either, that the woman I didn't touch because I wasn't there, hasn't identified yet. So, you know, you can just kinda check and verify nobody was there?"

Starting to feel almost like a mobster coordinating perjury to me

[FBaggins]

16. Dr Ford named who she remembered being at the party

This is reportedly one of her “lifelong friend”s

Interestingly... other reporting also names her as Bob Beckel’s Ex wife

[torius]

18. The friend used to be married to a Fox News personality,

Bob Beckel, who was fired from Fox for making a racist comment. I thought Fox promoted people for that. Apparently he stormed out of his office because a black IT guy had arrived.

Wonder if she is friend or frenemy.

"Beckel wrote that they “partied and partied” before their wedding. They had the money to do so, since her grandfather died and lefter (sic) her “a lot of money.” At the time, Beckel was still drinking heavily. He is a recovering alcoholic and has also admitted to using cocaine."

https://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/01/leland-keyser-bob-beckel-ex-wife-ingham-golf-kids-family-the-five-fox-news-married/

Anyway, maybe she doesn't remember hanging out with a small group of people one night in 1982, or maybe she has gotten too many ties to the Fox crowd to speak out.

[FBaggins]

20. "Fox Personality" leaves the impression that he's a Republican

Beckel was in Carter’s state department before becoming a senior political advisor... and then was campaign manager for Mondale in ‘84

He was Fox’s token liberal punching bag

[torius]

22. OK but he was still a racist nt

[torius]

21. The friend's dad was VP of a PAC

He was Vice President of National Association of Realtors, a group that gives mainly to Republicans and lobbies to deregulate financial services. Kavenaugh would certainly benefit them.

Her current hubby coaches CEOs. Imagine if his clients feared losting their tax cuts.

She's a pro golfer, good for her, but golf needs sponsorships and golf is a sport of the very wealthy. She has even more than the normal motive to keep out of this, she would have something to lose by rocking the boat. We don't know how good friends they are.

I smell a rat.

[jezebel321]

23. IMPORTANT*** NEW Wa/Po article. This friend believes Ford!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lawyers-for-christine-blasey-ford-say-she-has-accepted-senate-judiciary-committees-request-to-testify-against-kavanaugh/2018/09/22/e8199c6a-be8f-11e8-8792-78719177250f_story.html?utm_term=.a6d880ca4c4c

"As negotiations continued, Leland Keyser, a woman Ford told The Washington Post was present at the party where she alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her, came forward to say she had “no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present,” according to an email her lawyer sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, obtained by The Post. In a brief interview at her home in Silver Spring, Keyser said she was close friends with Ford and that she believes Ford’s allegation.

Before her name became public, Ford told The Post she did not think Keyser would remember the party because nothing remarkable had happened there, as far as Keyser was aware. Ford has said she did not tell anyone about the alleged assault until 2012.

“It’s not surprising that Ms Keyser has no recollection of the evening as they did not discuss it,” Katz said in a statement. “It’s also unremarkable that Ms. Keyser does not remember attending a specific gathering 30 years ago at which nothing of consequence happened to her. Dr. Ford of course will never forget this gathering because of what happened to her there.”

[torius]

25. Great! Puts a damper on the RW celebration. nt

[RandySF]

26. How many times

have people witness crimes and chose not to get involved?