Tentative deal reached for Kavanaugh accuser to testify, then party 'witness' drops major statement

Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, has agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Thursday.

Meanwhile, the fourth person who Ford claims was at the party, where she alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her, said late Saturday she has no recollection of being at the party.

What are the details?

The New York Times reported Ford's attorneys, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, reached a tentative agreement with the committee sometime Saturday evening. The deal was reached Saturday after Ford's attorneys announced their client had agreed to provide her testimony to the committee.

The terms under which Ford will testify are not yet ironed out. Ford's attorneys planned to continue negotiations with aides for Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Sunday. According to the Times, aides for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Judiciary Committee's ranking member, are also involved in negotiations.

The Associated Press reported that Kavanaugh is also expected to testify Thursday.

Additional details yet to be determined include the order of testimony — Ford originally demanded that Kavanaugh go first — and who will do the questioning. Ford insists it be senators, while some Republicans say outside counsel, even a female lawyer, should do the questioning.

Still, Grassley and other Republican members of the committee have remained open to making Ford as comfortable as possible given the situation. In the end, it's just her testimony they want so they can move forward with Kavanaugh's confirmation.

What about the other person?

Leland Keyser, the fourth person Ford alleges was at the party, came forward Saturday 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 a letter her lawyer sent the Judiciary Committee, the Washington Post reported.

The development is significant because now all four people who Ford alleges attended the small house party in 1982, including Kavanaugh, say they have no recollection of being at the party or seeing Kavanaugh there.

Kimberley Strassel of the Wall Street Journal explains:

1) Breaking, and a big deal: Fourth person that Ford named as present at infamous event denies even knowing kavanaugh, much less ever attending a party where he was present.

— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 23, 2018

Statement from Leland Keyser's attorney: "Simply put, 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."

— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 23, 2018

So to be clear: All four people named have said this party never happened. It isn't even as if one of them is saying, "oh, i remember the party, but my memory of how things played out is different." They are saying it NEVER HAPPENED. That is powerful evidence.

— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 23, 2018

And BTW, where does that put all those folks who claim the new standard is that we must automatically "believe" women? Because here is a woman, and she is saying Ford has it wrong.

— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 23, 2018