Today, a New York judge, at the request of the District Attorney, formally dismissed sexual assault charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The D.A. claimed that persistent lying by his hotel maid accuser made it impossible to determine what really happened.
Of course, the defendant's being the former head of the International Monetary Fund and in line for the Presidency of France had nothing to do with it. And I'm dining, tonight, with the tooth fairy. Why is there no public criticism or condemnation? An earthquake occurred, today, on the east coast. A sign of anger from Above?
When the D.A. first got the story from the woman, he was enthusiastic enough to issue an arrest warrant and the politician was pinched on a plane about to depart for France. Then, came the "perp walk" as t.v. cameras rolled. Sure enough, France condemned this scruffy behavior. I'm confident that "channels" were clogged with pompous indignation, for, on French turf, this type of conduct is viewed as warranting nothing more than a shoulder shrug. Take a walk in Paris and you may see a couple copulating at the curb.
The "lying" referred to by the alleged victim were inconsistencies in details not pertaining to the key issue of the case: WAS THE B.J. CONSENSUAL OR WAS IT FORCED. DNA evidence unequivocally established the sexual encounter, yet the prosecutor referred to it as "inconclusive". Analyze that, for one long moment. What he meant was that it didn't address the consent issue. What a schmuck! Did he want the DNA to get up and dance to the tune of "He Forced Me"? The only way for that issue to have been resolved was to present the (alleged) victim's testimony to a jury which would assess her credibility. And, wouldn't it have been interesting to see whether the defendant chose to tell his side of the story, or had lost his cojones, which were so prominently displayed in the hotel room.
The jurisdiction of this case had become international. The maid never had a chance. I'll let it go. But, it bothers the hell outta me. And, I'm a criminal defense attorney, yet.
Oh, well, welcome to the real world.
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