And then, just before the book ends, the reporters drop a bombshell:

“We spoke multiple times to Keyser, who also said that she didn’t recall that get-together or any others like it. In fact, she challenged Ford’s accuracy. ‘I don’t have any confidence in the story.'”

This on-the-record quote is the first time that Keyser has spoken publicly about what was previously reported in detail in the new bestseller “Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court” (of which this writer is co-author).

The New York Times authors dismiss Keyser’s statement as the product of a bad memory, before noting that their unsuccessful efforts to corroborate Blasey Ford’s claims including desperately searching for a house that matched the description she gave. Nevertheless, their “gut” told them to believe her in the absence of facts.