In a bombshell report late Thursday night, The Wall Street Journal reported that Leland Keyser — a “lifelong friend” named by Christine Blasey Ford as having been at the party where Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged assault of Ford took place — says she was pressured by Ford’s allies to change her sworn statement to authorities to benefit Ford.
As reported by The Daily Wire Wednesday, the Journal provided what could potentially have serious legal ramifications for Ford ally and former FBI agent Monica McLean for possibly attempting to “tamper” with a witness:
Leland Keyser told investigators that Ford’s friend, former FBI agent Monica McLean, had urged her to alter the original statement that she gave about not remembering any such party and not knowing Kavanaugh, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Journal noted that Keyser’s statement to the FBI offered “a glimpse into how Dr. Ford’s allies were working behind the scenes to lobby old classmates to bolster their versions of the alleged incident.”
A source close to the situation told the Journal that Dr. Ford’s friends “including Ms. McLean, had contacted Ms. Keyser after her initial statement to warn her that her statement was being used by Republicans to rebut the allegation against Judge Kavanaugh.”
McLean’s lawyer denied the allegations. “Any notion or claim that Ms. McLean pressured Leland Keyser to alter Ms. Keyser’s account of what she recalled concerning the alleged incident between Dr. Ford and Brett Kavanaugh is absolutely false,” said attorney David Laufman.
WSJ reports that the FBI “sent the White House and Senate an additional package of information that included text messages from Ms. McLean to Ms. Keyser, according to a person familiar with the matter.”
McLean’s name first came up when an ex-boyfriend of Ford submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee stating that he personally witnessed Ford coaching McLean on how to handle a lie detector test, contradicting her claim under oath that she had never participated in or helped anyone with a lie detector test.
The Journal’s report has sparked a firestorm online, with some blasting the outlet for reporting on a story that reflects negatively on Ford, while others called for further investigations of McLean, Ford’s attorneys and allies. Some examples below:
You are better than this, WSJ.
— llnyc (@NYCSays) October 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/USA_First_2016/status/1048179512444420096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1048179512444420096&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2F36772%2Fwsj-reports-witness-was-pressured-fords-allies-james-barrett
I’ve never been so embarrassed by the government in my life. This accusation is baseless, biased and wrong wrong wrong,
— Joanna ball (@Balldesign2Ball) October 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/BluesPlayer33/status/1048196242457710593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1048196242457710593&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2F36772%2Fwsj-reports-witness-was-pressured-fords-allies-james-barrett
https://twitter.com/kprym/status/1048195394486902785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1048195394486902785&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2F36772%2Fwsj-reports-witness-was-pressured-fords-allies-james-barrett
Any attorney that pressured her to revisit her statement should be investigated witness tampering and possibly for suborning perjury.
— Al (@Al92806) October 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/GuyTrezona/status/1048080907662516224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1048080907662516224&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2F36772%2Fwsj-reports-witness-was-pressured-fords-allies-james-barrett
Hints of collaboration, between Ford's team and Dem senators, witnesses (as this article suggests) and with other accusers Ramirez and Swetnek.
— Kelly (@CFieldofDreams) October 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/DeplorableOne2/status/1048190739044356096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1048190739044356096&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2F36772%2Fwsj-reports-witness-was-pressured-fords-allies-james-barrett
BREAKING: Witness Told FBI That Ford's 'Allies' Pressured Her To Change Story https://t.co/XafgdRp1dX
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 5, 2018
