A tale of two rape charges
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By Naomi Wolf
The opinions expressed are her own.
With the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, New York City has abruptly become the scene of two very different official approaches to investigating sex-crime cases, one traditional and one new. The new approach so far appears to be reserved for Strauss-Kahn alone.
Consider the first case: the ongoing trial of two police officers, Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata, charged in the rape of a 27-year-old Manhattan woman. She was drunk, and, after helping her to enter her apartment, Moreno and Mata allegedly made a false emergency call so that they could return to her. At that point, the woman says, she woke periodically out of her intoxicated state to find herself being raped, face down, by Moreno, as Mata stood guard.
The alleged rape of a citizen by a police officer — and the alleged collusion of another officer — is surely a serious matter. But the charges and trial have followed an often-seen pattern: the men’s supporters have vociferously defended their innocence (the presumption of which has been scrupulously upheld in the press); the victim’s pink bra has been the subject of salacious speculation, and her intoxication has been used to undermine her credibility. As the wheels of justice grind unglamorously forward, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made no public statement supporting the victim’s side.
Moreover, Moreno and Mata have not been asked to strip naked for “evidence” photos, were not initially denied bail, and were not held in solitary confinement, and are not being strip-searched daily. Their entire case has followed the usual timetable of many months, as evidence was gathered, testimony compiled and arguments made.
Then there is the Strauss-Kahn approach. After a chambermaid reportedly told her supervisor at the elegant Sofitel hotel that she had been sexually assaulted, the suspect was immediately tracked down, escorted off a plane just before its departure, and arrested. High-ranking detectives, not lowly officers, were dispatched to the crime scene. The DNA evidence was sequenced within hours, not the normal eight or nine days. By the end of the day’s news cycle, New York City police spokespeople had made uncharacteristic and shockingly premature statements supporting the credibility of the victim’s narrative — before an investigation was complete.
The accused was handcuffed and escorted before television cameras — a New York tradition known as a “perp walk.” The suspect was photographed naked, which is also unusual, initially denied bail and held in solitary confinement. The Police Commissioner has boasted to the press that Strauss-Kahn is strip-searched now multiple times a day — also unheard-of.
By the end of the second day’s news cycle, senior public officials had weakened the presumption of innocence, a cornerstone of any civilized society’s justice system. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was calling for Strauss-Kahn’s resignation from the IMF, and Bloomberg remarked, in response to objections to Straus-Kahn’s perp walk, “don’t do the crime.” Whatever happened in that hotel room, Strauss-Kahn’s career, and his presumption of innocence, was effectively over — before any legal process had even begun.
If Strauss-Kahn turns out, after a fair trial, to be a violent sex criminal, may his sentence be harsh indeed. But the way in which this case is being processed is profoundly worrisome. In 23 years of covering sex crime — and in a city where domestic workers are raped by the score every month, often by powerful men — I have never seen the New York Police Department snap into action like this on any victim’s behalf.
Harriet Lessel, executive director of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, agrees that this case has seen “a very quick and targeted response,” and points out that rape is “a grossly underreported crime” in New York. Worse, she says, many victims under other circumstances believe that the criminal justice system is unresponsive to their needs and more oriented toward ensuring that the innocent are not convicted.
While Lessel is quick to add that New York has “some great police officers and prosecutors who really care,” she says that the police do not normally issue public statements supportive of victims’ credibility, let alone early on, as they did with Strauss-Kahn’s accuser. Nor has she ever heard of someone being photographed naked as part of the evidence.
So what is happening here?
We now live in a world in which men like former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was investigating financial wrongdoing by the insurance giant AIG, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Strauss-Kahn — whose efforts to reform the IMF gained him powerful opponents — can be, and are, kept under constant surveillance. Indeed, Strauss-Kahn, who had been the odds-on favorite to defeat Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s French presidential election, probably interested more than one intelligence service.
This does not mean that Strauss-Kahn is innocent or that he is guilty. It means that policy outcomes can be advanced nowadays, in a surveillance society, by exploiting or manipulating sex-crime charges, whether real or inflated.
In other words, ours is increasingly an age of geopolitics by blackmail. Why, after all, were U.S. operatives asked to secure the “biometrics” and DNA of subjects abroad, as some of the U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks were revealed?
After Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, a caller to a New York radio talk show, who identified herself as a domestic worker in a New York luxury hotel, reported that “every week” a man in a towel accosts her, seeking sex. Another caller, a hotel manager, confirmed that this is a common way for male hotel guests to solicit sex. The New York Times flagged on its front page a report that hotel domestic workers are often targeted with clients’ requests for sex in exchange for money.
Are these men disgusting predators soliciting desperate, underpaid women? Yes. Is knowing about this economy relevant to the charges against Strauss-Kahn? Maybe.
Unfortunately, such questions may never be investigated, much less answered, for this is not being treated as a typical New York City sex-crime case. The authorities, perhaps with their own agenda, have publicly asserted a foregone conclusion; and that kind of intervention ultimately diminishes the chance of any one of us being able to rely on what used to be real American due process of law.
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Brilliant. And I had no idea DSK was being strip searched several times a day. If it’s true, it’s appalling.
“..she says, many victims under other circumstances believe that the criminal justice system is unresponsive to their needs and more oriented toward ensuring that the innocent are not convicted.” I don’t get that statement. Is not the function of the court to *ensure* the innocent are not convicted? And if *they* are innocent that means there is no victim in the first place right? What needs would a person claiming to be a victim have if no crime took place?
Naomi Wolf:
Spot on! Your analysis needs to be splashed across the front pages of all the major newspapers and websites. All media should be asking the same questions and making the same observations.It is my firm belief DSK has been the victim of a set-up because the chambermaid’s narrative of the 15 minute alleged assault makes no sense. It simply does not add up. Instead, we have the media and officials ganging up and smearing the reputation of someone who has been ripped of his presumption of innocence.
The situations in the two cases seem to be entirely different. Moreover it would be inappropriate, for legal reasons for the Mayor to say anything prior to the conclusion of the trials. In the policemen case, I wonder if they were on duty. If so what were they doing having even consentual sex while on duty? Taxpayers would like to know that.
I appreciate Naomi’s point. I despise double standards. But I feel it is appropriate to ask, why was it so difficult in that case for Wolff to appreciate the nuances that has distinguished the treatment of Julian Assange?
The NYPD is a very political organization so someone higher than the NYPD has influenced their actions. If we had any investigative reporters today, someone would know by now. But since we don’t, this man could be railroaded for an offense he didn’t commit. Someone is making a statement here..whether it’s prejudice against the French, the powerful, or prejudice for an African woman. Would be interesting to know the details about the people investigating this event….race, sex, age, political leanings, etc. Does anyone have any of this information?
Yes, it’s a little confusing, but that’s the point. This article seems to suggest that DSK was framed! But it blames the authority forces, that way taking attention away from the media which are also part of the coup (I see you Reuters). It works, because at this point voicing any opinion about the man just conveniently adds to the heap!
The unproven charges against DSK brings back memories of the time when a Captain Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted of treason, both were French Jews and both were serving their country honorably. After two years in Devils Island Captain Dreyfus was freed when evidence of his innocence appeared. Unsupported accusations must be suspect and not be allowed to destroy careers. The accused should have the benefit of a full investigation and jury trial before their reputation and freedom is taken away. Those found guilty of filing a false police report must be dealt with harshly.
This was a political lynching. Six months from now it will be quietly mentioned that he was innocent. We’ll never know the real truth.
Your points are well made. It is beginning to look similar to the Duke LaCross Players case in Durham, North Carolina. The “Time Line” bothers me and, while the defendant is known to be a womanizer, logic dictates that, like the actor Sheen or Jim Brown, he could have simply availed himself of a “hired and paid” person. Bloomberg has deep pockets. If DSK is acquitted in a NY Court, he will be sued for his “presumption of guilt”. Unfortunately tight wad that he is, he will likely settle using Citi funds, since he is Mayor ..
Why, of course the treatment is different. Moreno and Mata are cops. The rest of the cops are doing everything in their power to keep their fellow thugs out of jail.
it is funny that these female writers are trying to clear the name of this french monster… this guy has a history of these kinds of events… it looks like after they treat IMF’s president this way they will not treat anyone else in a lesser degree…
if this women were white female i bet the accusations in here would be very different…
Let’s face it, if this particular alleged crime was not investigated in a top priority manner by NYPD, how would hotel businesses in the city ever again keep enough female maids employed (at those low wages) to keep their businesses running smoothly?
Since this involved a putative president of a European nation, Macho Men of the US felt they had to bite back on behalf of an alleged no stature victim (as are most rape victims). It is a lot less work to do that than to pro-actively ensure a safe working environment daily for those women of a “lower class”.
Has anyone but me actually wrestled with their girlfriend to get an idea of what it actually takes to rape a girl? the fact is it takes a lot of exertion and most men couldn’t pull it off. Now, if you can tie her up or knock her unconscious, sure. But trying to wrestle someone really putting up a fight and do the deed. Maybe a strong young man but not an out of shape old man. No way in H***. Yeah, he’s being framed! If I were him, I would pay a women of comparable build to agree to an attempted rape by a man similar to himself. Likewise, I would offer the would be rapist a sizable reward for success. I would tape the encounter and present it to a jury. Case Closed!
The cases are obviously different. DSK was reportedly on suicide watch, hence the strip searches. NYPD wouldn’t want him to get a hold of anything he could harm himself with, now would they? He’s now out on bail to the tune of millions. Why would they treat him differently? Because he has the means to ditch bail and hob-nob with Roman Pulanski and nobody could do a thing about it.
Interesting. Any police department is going to try and cover for their own, of course. Always have and always will.
But it may be that DSK had the misfortune, if it can be called that, to rape a maid while the NYPD was desperately looking for a high-visibility rapist to crucify.
Lets hope it all comes out in the court.
Naomi Wolf’s analysis is spot on and needs to be splashed across the front pages of all the major newspapers and websites. All media should be asking the same questions and making the same observations.It is my firm belief DSK has been the victim of a set-up because the chambermaid’s narrative of the 15 minute alleged assault makes no sense. It simply does not add up. Instead, we have the media and officials ganging up and smearing the reputation of someone who has been ripped of his presumption of innocence.
Since 9/11 the American justice system has gotten much worse at remembering that one in innocent until proven guilty (if it ever did believe that for the poor and non-white).
I believe that DSK is the victim of a political plot to discredit him but then again; What do I know?
What is actually “worrisome” is that DSK’s lawyers are smearing the woman who claims alleged attempted rape by DSK & alleged forced oral sex. They are saying it was consensual.
And “geopolitical blackmail”? Please, let’s not get carried away. This isn’t about politics it is about alleged sexual violence.
Kudos to the maid for pressing charges, and to the NYPD for rapidly processing the case. DNA evidence has its own tale to tell and it will probably prove this case one way or another.
http://misogynistnyc.blogspot.com/2011/0 5/naomi-wolf-comes-across-as-barbie.html Naomi Wolf has spent too much time in the A list world to actually write an honest piece for instance she left out the fact that both the Rape Cop lawyers and the now Ex-IMF Chief lawyers will both put the rape victim on trial, blame the victim and how the means to hire very expensive lawyers. Joe Tacopina charges $750 an hour and his partner Chad Seigel compared our women’s private parts of a Venus Fly Trap which was a warm-up for painting the drunk woman as the aggressor. Commish Kelly condemn the cops actions and they were told not to come to work. Tacopina Seigel would tell Naomi as they did the rest of the world that the poor rape cops had to endure the painful process of having their pubic hair pulled out. Rape cop admits to cuddling her but not penetration and IMF Chief rapist admits to sex but it was consensual although the victim and the blood on the bed suggest the opposite.
REMEMBER: THE JOB IS DONE… IF DSK IS INNOCENT, IT’S MOOT, SINCE HE’S ALREADY RESIGNED, AND WILL NOT BE THE NEXT FRENCH PRESIDENT. Political Assassination COMPLETE.
Just a point: The policemen will never, ever, be convicted. They’ll go scot free leaving the woman to pick up the pieces. That’s justice when the police are involved.
Thank you Naomi for making the case for one of your own. That said, I can see why Dominique Strauss-Kahn finds this incident so impossible.
He just finished screwing, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and was just about to get in bed with Spain, another reluctant partner – without much trouble.
Stories like this make me feel like my life is useless, will I ever know the truth around me? Every day there are several stories and things that we see and I am sure lot of them out there do not believe what they see and hear, but we just have to accept. This incident is one of them, it is hard to believe that DSK is being treated like most wanted criminal in the world.
Sure, I approve of the concept of innocent until proven guilty, but usually the rich and powerful members of high society don’t even get officially accused of wrongdoing.
After three years and relentless public outcry by the minority of Americans who realize what happened in the years leading up to the Collapse of 2007/2008, an investigation of Goldman Sachs may finally produce criminal charges.
If America’s memory had been just a little bit shorter, I believe there would have been no consequences for Wall Street beyond scoldings and fines.
Such a vigorous response to DSK’s crime must have something to do with the sexual aspect of the accusation. Little else evokes such a collective gasp from ordinary Americans.
I think a lot of responses here are missing the point. This article is not about suggesting DSK has framed. I think it’s very clear that Ms. Wolf has not suggested that. Instead, this article makes a great point about social, political and media responses to allegations about sexual assault. Generally, victims of sexual assault are questioned or blamed when they go (or are made to go) public with allegations of abuse. There is a widespread tendency to disbelieve sexual assault victims in our culture. The social support for the victim of DSK is, in my opinion, extremely outside of the ordinary. I think this article only stands to suggest that the public support here is due to the fact that to villify DSK may be politically useful, whereas it is not politically useful (to those in power) to villify two members of NYPD.
The policies and procedures have always been held hostage to the whims of those who influence and help shape the outcome to their desired end.These vested interests have an agenda so intense of their own that they forget the norms laid out to ensure due legal process is completed without prejudice.
I feel like there is a good chance the man is guilty of this crime given his history. But I feel someone should point this out. DSK is putting together a package to bail out the deadbeats of the European Union’s economy. The EU is one of our principal competitors economically. But 2 plus 2 doesn’t always equal four.
The whole of this OpEd is flawed. It is written in order to attack the NYPD and current governor. This writer is peppering truth with lies. In a Goebellian writer’s strategy.
We had several facts:
1- People must have rights preserved. No matter if poor, humble or rich and powerful.
2- The accuser have plenty of evidence of Dominick Strauss Kahn all over her. There is body fluid.
3- The defendant – DSK – Dominick was on board plane, en route to leave the United States.
Fact is he even forgot his mobile phone. He left in a hurry. He was alredy aboard an airplane.
The possiblitiy that there maybe a case of allegged crime from the NYPD officers does not exhonerate DSK. Two wrongs does not make any right and BOTH women deserves justice served.
Spitzer disgraced the seat of governor of NY because he lied. Most people does not care for his phillandering. We do care of PERJURY from Bill Clinton. We already know too that if DSK had fled, the same Naomi would write a piece criticizing the NYPD for letting him go easily.
There is enought evidence to see that Naomi Wolf has a special type of reasoning. There is at least two reports of rape on the same DSK. Dominick has disgraced the IMF when he abused his powers to get sex from his assistant. Even more so because it was perpetrated in Davos, while on duty. Dominick has also attacked a newswoman in France.
And yes. He must be as well contemplating suicide. This is the REASON why he has to be strip searched. He is a coward in the sexual real. Must be a coward when facing the reality.
Get your facts straight.
Wow – I had to check the biography to make sure that this was the same Naomi Wolf….you know, the feminist? What a joke.
What the hell happened, Naomi? This is how you react to powerful men getting their comeuppance? With defense and sympathy? What a nauseating opinion piece.
I understand your argument about “secret world powers are doing constant surveillance on powerful men,” and it fails on the merits – everyone knew about this guy, there was no surveillance necessary. If this guy really wanted to see his policy agenda furthered, he should have stopped raping women awhile ago. (The same goes for Eliot Spitzer and his prostitute problem.) Nobody is making these men act this way, and if they are the only people capable of advancing a progressive agenda, then maybe that agenda should be re-examined.
Also, do you think that maybe, just maybe, the reason the news media were all like “He’s toast,” immediately after the arrest is because they knew that this person was an out-of-control sexual predator? It kind of sounds like everyone was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And I don’t think that hotel maids everywhere will much appreciate your implication that they are all whores.
—–
In contrast to the aspersions cast by Ms. Wolfe, I would like to take a moment to commend the character of this hotel worker: she is sticking to her guns despite being quietly offered huge sums of money to recant the charges and refuse to testify (DSK’s wife is a billionaire heiress).
This hotel worker came to this country as a refugee, and I hope that her dreams and hopes for the promise of this country are upheld by the process of justice. She, unlike the well-connected smug insiderish I’ll-hate-women-too-if-you-just-let-me-i n-your-club pseudo progressivism of Ms. Wolfe, represents the best of America.
In the historical contest many the top tank people, has ben protected or executed like in Imperial China, or strangled like in Europe from Roman Empire to Medieval period, for different type of crimes .
Today to establish some connection if difficult, but we must concentrate in values, as when money and power became the only source of a narcissistic society , this is the result. Probably DSK, developed a charming personality, part of a mental disorder. Nobody around him suspected ?? perhaps !! May be he was i victim of his grandiosity.
https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva =1#inbox/13011c454f511e73
Naomi: there are huge differences between the cases you discuss. There’s no ADN evidence at all showing that the “victim” in the NYPD case was raped. However, there’s plenty of it in the Strauss-Kahn case. THere’s no evidence that the “victim” in the police case had any sex. The scene for the Strauss-Kahn case is very favorable to the hypothesis of violence and unlikely for a hypothesis of consent. Strauss-Kahn has a history that is quite compatible with the hypothesis of violence. The claim about violently forced sex came much earlier in the case of SK than in the case of the NYPD case. SK has tried to rape his daughter’s best friend! Even trying to seduce one’s daughter’s best friend would be considered a beastly behavior. SK has a history of making passes at female receptionists, trying to rape a socialist representative in France. He’s not normal.
Funny, I never thought of the two NYC Police Officers as flight risks. Nor do they have an entire nation out there willing to shelter them for a lifetime. But of course the analogy is the same…
I would have preferred to see the 2 police officers who were charged with raping the woman in the east village succumb to a body search. Since their duty is to protect her, not rape her… in terms of DSK I was bothered by the denial of bail, as bail is standard in these types of cases, The judge was swept away by all the cameras… The only reason Port Authority and NYPD arrested him so quickly is because he called the hotel looking for his cell phone and asked the hotel to bring the phone to the airport and gave the hotel is flight information. Its not because the police are efficient far from it. They treated him differently because of his stature and position. Its all politically motivated. Don’t get me wrong I do believe he attacked the maid and he does have a pattern in his past of using force against women sexually. But i believe the degree in which his rights were so trampled over is disturbing…..I have no doubt the maid is telling the truth 100%. Look on another level, when a person has a serious character flaw in their makeup and his violent, disrespectful and sexually assaults women, its just a matter of time that eventually this will turn around and bite him in the ass, his time has finally come…….! Justice is for all…Where is Al Pacino when you need him?
The French have a right to be pissed. This could very well be a scandal meant to take out the probable future president of France.
The solid facts/evidence about this alleged sexual assault are still unknown. So any statements here to that effect are sheer speculation. The only thing we have are the 7 charges filed by the D.A.’s office- all based on the believability of the chambermaid’s words. Nothing else.
Ms. Wolf comes shamefully down on the side of those described by a commentator in Le Monde this weekend, who said “Once again, the French elite are outraged at the workings of the justice system when it is applied to one of their own.”
I can make no sense whatsoever of the garbled references to former Gov. Spitzer, who was misusing his privileges and could have been prosecuted. Would Ms. Wolf have had him or other violators not under surveillance?
Ms. Wolf criticizes the tenor of public debate about the cases of the police officers and of Mr. S-K. Does she presume people do not have opinions, or suggest that there be no public debate?
Had the NYPD dragged their feet in the investigation Ms. Wolf would have been the first to accuse them of being dilatory. Would she have had the case handled by less-experienced officers? She is perhaps hoping for another botched case on the model of O-J.
Ms. Wolf has clearly determined that the police officers are guilty. Unlike Mr. S-K, neither of them has a history of the sort of behavior they are on trial for.
Had Mr. S-K been allowed to leave the country there would have been no way to return him to the jurisdiction, whereas the officers could have been forced to return.
Prisoners under suicide watch are routinely searched for their own good, as required by the rules of their incarceration. What would Ms. Wolf have said if Mr. S-K did indeed manage to commit suicide while in NYPD custody?
What in the world is meant by “geopolitics by blackmail?” Should justice not be the goal?
Since some chambermaids and men may solicit favors from hotel guests, does this in any way justify the alleged behavior of Mr. S-K? Was he only “doing what everybody else does,” so it was OK?
I could go on, but it would only further dignify this absurd diatribe.
Naomi, you have convincingly described your misgivings about the handling of two separate accusations of rape in New York City. With respect to one case, you raise the possibility of overzealous prosecution; in the other, you suggest a lack of interest in convicting anyone at all.
So… what is the moral imperative?
For now, I have to take my usual path and assume the women are telling the truth, the cops are guilty, so is DSK, all the authorities in both New York and Paris are incurably corrupt, and that if justice is done in either case, it will be purely coincidental.
More I do not know.
Naomi made the same excuses for Bill Clinton – who had numerous women come forward to say he did more than abuse his power with an intern, but groped and flashed and raped just like DSK.
And the bail issue is a joke. DSK would fly the coop given a chance and everyone knows it.
two thoughts on the story: any other female would have hurt him instead of pleasuring him, cause she (the victim) is in control (doing the action) while he is still!
with the cops, they should be charged twice, once for committing the crime and once more for betraying the trust.
Until reading many of the posts regarding this article it hadn’t occurred to me that the article was anything more than a healthy questioning of the inconsistency surrounding due process of law. Were we to extract the names, status of the accused, privilege, position, politics, from the simple facts surrounding this case I think we’d agree that our social and legal justice systems are themselves revealing signs of decay. DSK may be a criminal, but justice isn’t properly served when the first step after an arrest is to throw a rope over a tree limb.
Same as it always was. History is replete with the abuses of powerful men against less powerful women – all in the name of a hard-on and a hormonal itch.
Powerful men generally have gobs of women throwing themselves at them (also driven by genetic mandates to find wealthy nest builders). This makes powerful men start to believe that ALL women really want “it” from them, and if they don’t, there must be something wrong with them.
Add in the huge number of political ideologues and sycophants (like Naomi Wolfe), who are willing to “man” the ramparts and turn truth up-side-down for “the cause” and we get what we get: powerful men who think they have carte blanche to cajole and or force far less powerful women than they to meet their selfish needs to be bull elks and have a harem at their disposal.
Anything for the cause, right Naomi?
Whenever i doubt claims the USA has become a polarised society, my hesitation is demolished by a quick trawl through news articles and the associated commentary. It seems ‘the middle way’ has become something of a no-mans-land.
Conspiracy theories (always a favourite), demonisation of groups through the extreme actions of minorities, complex arguments reduced to Republican/Democrat policy posturing and calls to action on completely non-related issues are very satisfying fare for this observer from Down Under. It’s reassuring to be reminded that our Australian versions of injustice, cronyism and stupity are no more than a reflection of the global malaise.
The treatment of the IMF fellow seems pretty reasonable really… It’s probably a case of the NYPD being ‘damned if they do, and damned if they don’t’ so it’s good to see that they have acted promptly, and didn’t attempt to sweep things under the carpet. The assumption of guilt is a breach of protocol at the least, and you’d expect appropriate reprimands on that front but it doesn’t negate the positive of swift action.
The comparison with the police officers doesn’t really seem warranted, other than to highlight the lack of action on the sex charges.
So we have two valid stories, and a journalist using the comparison to raise a few pertinent points.
That’s just good journalism, isn’t it?
(and a tip o’ the ‘at to all who fume in outrage at my flippancy – love your work).
Ah, USA, outspoken critic of other countries’ human rights.
And this man devoted his entire life to public service. I wonder if I high ranking American national would have gotten the same treatment??
Great article Naomi, though your last line (that kind of intervention ultimately diminishes the chance of any one of us being able to rely on what used to be real American due process of law.) makes me pause: Did it ever truly exist? Or is the legal system in most (political) instances a mere semblance of “justice” manipulated by the strongest bidder?
Strauss Kahn is a leftie.
Naomi is a leftie.
Case closed.
Sounds like you would have prefered DSK to be treated like Moreno and Mata. And you make it sound like what he did was trivial, just because it is “a common way for male hotel guests to solicit sex.” Indeed, justice has to be applied with equal strength, but DSK is not a victim. Precisely because he is a men of high power and public duty, the approach to him needs to be perfectly strict and examplary.
Ceciboloca et al, you make me throw up a bit… with your male bravado and knowital tin foil hat. Was 14 minutes too little time? You would have raped her for longer?
Do not forget he was in a hurry and was about to meet his daughter before his flight… but no, it doesn’t add up. No matter his DNA is all over her and he left his cell phone behind. You need to read the Ben stein URL I added at the bottom. He is with you entirely and by the same logic I am sure.
After reading your comments and others I am sure that even fewer women will come forward after being raped. The humiliation and violation and in this woman’s case, trying to violate her every orifice, wasn’t enough. (There are 6 charges pending remember…)
Now she has to be accused of a conspiracy and having asked for it (which the French have done being they presume the victim wanted it and it was a setup… but do not presume guilt!) She will also have to endure a trial, more accusations… and a lifetime of memories of the assault. (none of which she “asked” for…)
His French friends understand his hormonal urges… and offer this defense:
“Dominique Strauss-Kahn is well-known as a seducer,” his official biographer, Michel Taubmann, said. “I can’t believe he would force himself on an unwilling woman. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Why all the fuss? It’s merely a bit of hanky-panky with the help,” said Jean-François Kahn, the crusading editor of the Left-wing Marianne weekly.
Jack Lang, a law don famous for having been François Mitterrand’s high-profile, graffiti-loving, diversity-fostering Culture Minister, dismissed it all rather infelicitously as an “overblown” affair: “Really, nobody died in that hotel room.”
http://tinyurl.com/3z99hp5
Ben Stein wishes everyone would presume his innocence because he is an economist and you really have to read his defense of DSK… as it is unbelievable.
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/05/17 /presumed-innocent-anyone
I, as a woman, and one who was molested 3 times by men, and feel the lasting anguish that violence brings would rather fight for the rights of the victim. I am glad DSK was treated as anyone else would be and hope that the police officers are criminally charged if they are also guilty.
Naomi, to compare it to the NYPD case, where they (and most police forces) have been known to protect their own… is just silly. Was their DNA? Were the police officers a flight risk?
As a ‘journalist’ what you should be questioning is why the rape kits are warehoused for years until no longer viable… and why rape is not considered a violent act upon women all of the time… no matter how wealthy, powerful or protected the person is, who is alleged to have raped.
No one should get off because they hired a powerful lawyer … and NO ONE should be above the law. If Rikers does 4 strip searches (before each admittance, before trial, before admittance again to ensure not carrying weapons) then of course DSK got that same treatment.
That you are appalled that DSK was violated in his nether regions is rather ironic… and make you sound elitist and prejudiced.