(Sept. 16) Leland Ingham Keyser is my new heroine.
Keyser is the high school friend identified by Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, as the other young high schooler at the small gathering at which Ford said Kavanaugh forcibly groped her. All along, though, Keyser has said she remembers no such gathering, nor ever meeting Kavanaugh.
Now, with the publication of a new book on the Kavanaugh mess by two New York Times reporters, those allegations and two others from Kavanaugh’s Yale days are receiving renewed attention. Most of the commentary has focused on the alleged incidents at Yale and the new, albeit tremendously dicey, supposed corroborations thereof.
What should not be lost in the shuffle, though, is the new reporting the book’s authors did with regard to Ford and Keyser. Keyser is a former Georgetown women’s golf coach and political podcast producer for her ex-husband Bob Beckel, the very liberal longtime foil for Fox News’ mostly conservative lineup. Keyser reportedly leans at least somewhat leftward politically as well.
Keyser reportedly came under enormous pressure from decades-long friends and from liberal activists to change her story so as to give more credence to Blasey Ford’s account. Suffering from chronic pain due to a major neck injury and knee replacement, along with other health issues, it would have been easy, not to mention ideologically satisfying, to give in and offer some sort of half-fudged statement that seemed to give Ford’s account more credibility.
Instead, Keyser stood firm.
Not only did she say she doesn’t remember such a gathering as the one described by Ford, Keyser also now specifically says she has reason to disbelieve her longtime friend. In doing so, she has faced pressure, criticism, ostracism, and (reportedly) threats against her reputation.
“The harsh glare of the public eye has taken a tremendous physical, emotional, and financial toll on her,” wrote her son, Alex Beckel.
Still, Keyser continues to refuse to bend the truth. Still, she persists.
Keyser’s integrity is an inspiration. Here’s hoping it is appreciated, even by Kavanaugh’s political foes.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/would-be-witness-in-kavanaugh-case-shows-rare-courage
