A “lifelong friend” of Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser says she has never met Kavanaugh and that she has “no recollection” of ever being at a house party with Kavanaugh, CNN reports.
Leland Ingham Keyser is said to be the fourth witness named in accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) which alleges that Keyser was the only female guest in attendance at a house party 35 years ago where Ford says a teenaged Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. The Senate Judiciary Committee contacted Keyser earlier this week after learning of her identity.
Late Saturday evening, Keyser issued a statement to the committee through her own attorney, Howard Walsh, claiming that she has never met Kavanaugh and that she certainly didn’t attend any parties with him.
“Simply put,” Walsh told media Saturday, “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.”
Walsh went on to acknowledge that Keyser is a “lifelong friend” of Dr. Ford.
In her initial letter, Ford claimed that only a few people attended the party where she says a drunk Kavanaugh pushed her into a bedroom, pawed at her clothing, and attempted to kiss her. All three of those witnesses, identified by the Senate Judiciary Committee, not only deny that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Ford, they don’t seem to recall any such party, casting serious doubt on Ford’s claims.
Ford’s attorneys responded to Keyser’s statement Sunday morning, suggesting that Keyser is immaterial to Ford’s narrative.
“It’s not surprising that Ms. Keyser has no recollection of the evening as they did not discuss it,” Ford’s attorneys said in the own 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.”
That’s also a significant departure from Ford’s assertion last week that the FBI should interview all the party attendees to fully investigate — and substantiate — Ford’s claims.