How Did Christine Ford Not Remember Her “Lifelong Friend” In Her Letter?

HotAir ^ | September 23, 2018 | Jazz Shaw

[Trump20162020]

When Ed introduced the lastest player in the Christine Blasey Ford saga last night, it seemed like bad news for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s detractors. The identity of the fourth person at the alleged party where Ford claims to have been assaulted turned out to be Leland Ingham Keyser, who describes herself as a “lifelong friend” of Ford’s. Unfortunately for Ford’s story, Keyser released a statement saying that she’s never met Kavanaugh and, like everyone else listed as party attendees, has no recollection of any such party.

There’s one element to this latest revelation which should be setting off some alarm bells. Ford has maintained from the beginning that there were four other people at the party that night. As Ed Morrissey correctly notes, we now have the full list. They include Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Judge (the sort-of accomplice), Patrick “PJ” Smyth and now Leland Ingham Keyser. But let’s recall how this whole affair began.

As revealed by both the Washington Post and the New York Times, Ford originally sent a letter to her Representative, Anna Eshoo. With the congresswoman’s help, the information was sent to one of her senators, Dianne Feinstein. After it was obvious her identity was going to go public, Ford additionally contacted the Washington Post on September 16th. In all of these documents and conversations, one thing was consistent. She claimed that in addition to Kavanaugh and Judge, there were two other boys at the party.

This “fact” was central to the development of the record of events. You’ll also recall that the letter from her therapist mistakenly claimed (according to the therapist) that they had incorrectly recorded Ford recounting being attacked by four boys. Ford herself accounted for that discrepancy by saying that four boys were at the party, but only two of them had followed her upstairs and assaulted her while the other two boys remained downstairs, unaware of what was taking place.

With more than thirty-five years having gone by, one might understandably forgive Ms. Ford if she couldn’t remember the identities of the other boys downstairs, particularly if they hadn’t kept in touch over the decades. Heck, I probably couldn’t name more than one out of five members of my high school senior class if you showed me their graduation pictures today. But Keyser doesn’t fall into that category. She was supposedly not only at the party, but stayed in touch, remaining friends with Ford for all of these years.

So how would Ford write a letter stating there were four boys at the party when one of the alleged partygoers was not only female but someone she’s known all her life?

Up until now, I’ve avoided any direct accusation of mendacity on the part of Christine Blasey Ford, though the incredibly convenient timing of the release of this information made it tempting. Of those people who have spoken to her, all describe her as being credible, professional and an upright citizen. I’ve pondered how her story could be squared with the blunt denials of Kavanaugh and Mike Judge, along with the lack of any memory of such an event by the other supposed attendees. Given all the time that’s passed, I wondered if perhaps Ford had actually been to such a party and suffered an assault, but it was with someone else and her mind was just filling in a blank with Kavanaugh’s name. Such things can certainly happen as we get older and our memories become less reliable. (Trust me on that one.)

But now? The idea that one of the “other two boys” turned out to be not only a woman, but someone Ford has known all her life is a bit much to swallow. This story is starting to stink on ice.

[amihow]

Flake is despicable.

[x]

Why wouldn’t she call the friend and get her story straight before sending the letter?

She may not have thought things would go this far. She may have thought the charge would spur investigations and lead to other allegations so she wouldn't have to testify herself.

Possibly, somewhere in the back of her consciousness she recognized the possibility that her friend would deny being at the get-together and that would discredit her charges, so rather than risk it, she didn't bother contacting Leland. She wouldn't be the first person who didn't check things out because she unconsciously feared they wouldn't match her memory.

Perhaps the story had become so real to her that she assumed her friend would back her up. Or perhaps it was so vague and shadowy that she wasn't sure just who was there, just as she wasn't sure when and where it happened or how she got to the house and back. In some sense, maybe not consciously, she may have been "making it up as she goes along."

[WASCWatch]

Liars can never keep their lies straight, which is why they eventually get trapped by their own words. Keeping lies organized and without contradictions is impossible.

The truth is easy to remember, so truth-tellers don’t have those problems.

[trebb]

Why would she, having just “escaped”, not come down and tell her good friend what had just happened? If it was as bad as she claims, why doi none of the others noticed something amiss and ask her if she was OK?