Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have been victim of a plot, writer claims

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

New questions have been raised about the events in the New York hotel room where the former International Monetary Fund head and leading French politician, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was alleged to have sexually assaulted a hotel maid.

The case against Strauss-Kahn was eventually dramatically dropped by a Manhattan court, but the scandal forced him to resign his IMF post and destroyed his chances of becoming the leading leftwing candidate to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency.

An exhaustively researched article in the New York Review of Books, published by veteran American investigative journalist Edward Jay Epstein, has cast fresh doubt on exactly what happened in the Sofitel hotel room on 14 May between Strauss-Kahn and his accuser, Guinean-born maid Nafissatou Diallo.

In passages sure to delight Strauss-Kahn supporters and conspiracy theorists, Epstein's lengthy article studied hotel door key and phone records and traced links to Strauss-Kahn's potential political rivals, appearing to suggest the possibility that he had been set up.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/26/dominique-strauss-kahn-hotel-maid

[Zoeisright]

1. Yeah, doubt it.

There were enough women making claims. I believe the women over a man any day.

[MADem]

2. He wrote the plot himself, the little shitbird, with his ass grabbing and sexual threats. NT

[roguevalley]

20. what you said, MADem

[tabatha]

3. Well, he certainly fell for it

hook, line and ...

[SoapBox]

4. What a load of crap...This arrogant ass, thought that he could do any damned thing that he wanted...

The plot is this...

His brains are in his crotch. Period.

He thought that he could do anything to women and get away with it.

[defendandprotect]

5. Unlikely ... DSK has been involved in dozens of attacks on females ---

14 or 20 or more of them -- and has commented on the problems his own

sexual behavior has caused for his political career.

This is one of the sleaziest guys to ever come along -- and he certainly

seems to have an obsession with attacking "maids" and "unions" -- !!

[Dover]

23. Sleazy or not, the reason he was able to avoid any political or legal fallout was because

someone of his stature would be 'protected' by our government or any gov.....UNLESS and until they wanted to take him down.
I think it was pretty obviously a take down or they would have covered for him. And what interesting timing.
He was arrested just prior to the G8 meeting, and Obama made a point while there to visit with Sarkozy. Of course
they didn't really want to keep him in jail. They just wanted to make it impossible for him to carry on politically.
So when the political damage was done they released him and bring the 'victim's' motives into question... mission accomplished.

[defendandprotect]

24. Whatever the game playing, this is no innocent "rutting pig" --- !!

from a post lower down on the thread by Prometheus ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=5071407&mesg_id=5071440

[Dover]

27. I don't know anything about that source (the Sun) but you do realize

that it's entirely possible to manufacture witnesses too.
At any rate, that's the first I've heard of those witnesses.
I'm not defending this man, but there is little altruism or righteousness
to be found when everyone in this plot is playing dirty.
And the stakes were clearly high what with all the economic upheaval,
the IMF involvement and political elections in France, etc.

[defendandprotect]

28. Whaat ... ???

ROFL --

You've been trying to defend him in every one of your posts!

[Dover]

29. Legally Kahn has been dismissed. Are you saying the legal system got it wrong?

I can't quite figure out WHAT you think this whole incident was about or what, besides The Sun's article,
you are basing it on.

Why would our government dismiss a guilty man?

[defendandprotect]

30. Let's go back to ....

your claim you're not trying to defend him -- ROFL

YES, they got it wrong -- most cases of rape are highly underreported --

and even when they are reported, rarely does much happen!

Especially when notables are involved.



Hi -- let me introduce you to patriarchy -- !! :eyes:

[Dover]

33. And so, in your mind there was no plot to put him out of commission

politically. Authorities just decided this time they weren't going to cover for him and would fully
expose his perversion giving the press a field day...and then they'd let this monster walk.
Is that how you see it? The head of the IMF is put throught the ringer, but then allowed to walk.

Brilliant!

[EFerrari]

42. It was obvious he was set up the second he got arrested.

NO ONE in his class gets arrested in this country. That should have been the bright red flag.

[Dover]

45. Yes, that's the thing that got my attention too. ...n/t

[defendandprotect]

48. And have the prior attacks been a plot -- and this as well ???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=5071407&mesg_id=5071440


In fact, DSK has spoken about the unlikelihood of his political success owing

to his previously well known sexual misbehavior -- !!

[EFerrari]

52. It is entirely possible for him to be a total pig AND to be set up.

Think about it. When was the last time someone in the 1% was arrested for any crime.

[defendandprotect]

70. You want to suggest that he has attacked dozens of women, but this time he didn't? OK

ROFL

Even his own godchild was involved in a plot against him!

[defendandprotect]

47. In my mind?

Doesn't seem to be much on your mind other than trying to defend this pig --

No one needed a plot -- this guy is a 24/7 pervert -- preying on young women --

some as young as 15!!

[sabrina 1]

31. The woman lied, there is no doubt about that.

She lied so much that the entire story she told, including the lies she told the Grand Jury (for which she may still be prosecuted), did not match any of the actual evidence. She apparently forgot about the electronic door key, and his phone among other things.

But additional to all that the prosecutor, who more than anyone else, really wanted this case NOT to fall apart, had to admit in the end, there is now video which was taken in the hotel showing two of her cohorts high-fiving each other and doing a 'celebratory' dance right after the supposed 'attack' when DSK had just left the room. She was not in the hallway cringing and hiding as she stated, there is no doubt now as to where she was. She was a very busy woman for someone who claimed that she was 'devasted'. The evidence shows otherwise.

Sorry but there never was a case here, and shame on the prosecutor who knew this but held off on dropping the case until AFTER the date of the French Presidential primary had passed. There is also the fact that someone at the Sofitel Hotel called Sarkozy's presidential residence that night, and the close friendship of NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Sarkozy.

There is simply no excuse for the fact that this case lasted a day after the arrest when we now know that there were problems almost immediately with the woman's testimony. He is womanizer, doesn't make him a rapist and he was stupid considering he had just received a message on his phone warning him that he might be set up. The phone disappeared, and has never been retrieved even though the cops originally claimed to have found it.

All of this has been verified, proven, beyond a doubt. There was no case. The woman, imo, did not know she was part of a set-up, if there was one, but it's more than likely she was used. Still no information on where all the money that was in her various accounts came from. Since she has been proven to be a liar, her claim that 'she doesn't know where it came from' is hardly believable.

DSK and his wife are now suing a number of people, including Sarkozy's political party. More is likely to be revealed, and he did have some of this country's best investigators working for him, so it's likely he knows a lot more than we do at this point.

Murdoch's rag, the NY POST, together with a French version of Breitbart were responsible for the spreading of most of the lies told about the case in the beginning. But for those who really wanted facts, it didn't take long to figure out that something was very wrong with this from the beginning.

If it's true that DSK would not have gone along with the Austerity program being imposed on Greece at the time, supported by Merkel, then a lot of people lost as a result of what happened. Mostly the people of Greece. Watching some of his speeches before all this happened, I could see why the Big Banks would have had a problem with him. And yes, he should have known better regarding his personal life. So should a lot of people.

[Dover]

36. Wow, thanks for clearing that up. I can't believe either one of us has

expended any energy to respond to this poster who is running around waving The Sun in everyone's face as evidence. But
I'm grateful to you for laying it out so well. A very interesting and accurate accounting of what went down.
Thanks!

[sabrina 1]

40. You're welcome, no other case has shown more clearly the

horrible state of the US media, than this one. The NY POST spent weeks breathlessly publishing lies and vicious headlines when this case was first reported. The case was tried and he was convicted, right here on DU, before anyone even knew who he was. Murdoch said he was guilty, then so be it. That it was the Post and the NYPD should have caused people to take a breath and do a little research on their own.

But the strength of the influence of our Tabloid, Murdoch/Rev Moon press was nowhere more evident than with this story. Over and over I have repeatedly, in threads on this case, given the facts, often with links, which are actually easily accessed, but Murdoch's propaganda is hard to fight.

Thank YOU for being one of the few voices of reason in this thread :-)

[Dover]

46. Well it seems there is a strong...ahem...Murdoch contingent on this thread

and many other threads at DU. I usually don't take the bait, so I'm disappointed in myself for doing so.
It's not like they pose any real threat to those with a nose for truth.
At any rate it seems your post shut them down! Bravo!

[Prometheus Bound]

59. The New York Post slandered the hotel worker, calling her a prostitute.

[sabrina 1]

78. Lol, yes, only after months of slandering DSK and after

the Prosecutor's report came out. They had done their job by then. Made sure he would be removed as IMF chief before the critical decisions were made on Greece, and held him up until it was too late for him to enter the French Presidential Primaries. Mission accomplished. The prosecutor and Sarkozy's friend, NYPD Chief Ray Kelly also withheld the facts until after those two critical issues were safely out of the way.

The woman never mattered, and Murdoch's rag, the Post wasn't going to miss an opportunity to sell papers by NOT turning on her AFTER the main mission was accomplished. By then, she too had served her purpose and was disposable.

[defendandprotect]

83. Just as an aside, why would anyone be arguing for DSK to head up anything, IMF or France????

This is not someone you want in charge of anything --

[Ghost Dog]

56. I wonder if DSK's investigators know who was in room 2820

"... Meanwhile, the records show that at 12.26pm Diallo entered a nearby room – number 2820 – which she had visited several times that morning before its guest had checked out. A few minutes later, she returned to Strauss-Kahn's vacated room and soon after reported an attack to her supervisor. Sofitel has refused to name the occupant of room 2820. During her account to investigators, Diallo did not reveal that she had visited 2820, so the room was not searched by police..."

[sabrina 1]

77. I'm sure they know who was staying there. I don't know if they

know who she spoke to in that room. They intended to use all that they discovered if there had been a trial. But I'm sure also that anything they discovered, such as eg, the call made from the Hotel to Sarkozy's presidential residence I believe. Now that DSK is suing Sarkozy's Party, it may be that they have discovered who in the Hotel made that call.

Then there is the connection of the NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to Sarkozy also. And how Sarkozy's people on the internet knew about an arrest that did not happen until five hours AFTER they spread it all over Twitter. How could they know that? The only people who would know about an arrest that had not yet happened, would be the NYPD. Lots of unanswered questions which I have a feeling his investigative team do have some answers to which is why he feels confident to sue Sarkozy's party.

[Prometheus Bound]

60. The hotel has said it is a lie that hotel employees were celebrating.

The interaction lasted 8 seconds, not 3 minutes and did not involve a dance of celebration.

«L'article affirme que deux employés du Sofitel auraient été filmés par les caméras de surveillance de l'hôtel «se réjouissant» pendant trois minutes. En réalité, ces faits ont duré huit secondes, sans qu'aucune «extraordinaire danse de fête» n'ait pu être constatée», assure le Sofitel.

Le management de l'hôtel dit avoir interrogé ces deux hommes depuis la parution de l'article. Ils «ont catégoriquement nié que cet échange ait quelque lien que ce soit avec Monsieur Strauss-Kahn».

http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2011/11/26/01016-20111126ARTFIG00343-affaire-dsk-diallo-la-reponse-d-accor-aux-revelations.php

It sounds like Epstein is a bit of a crackpot. I see in one of his website articles he says Iran will have a nuclear bomb by 2009. He wants to sell books.
http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/Nuclearelephant.htm

[sabrina 1]

63. There is video. The Hotel said a lot of things that turned out not

to be true in the early stages also. The only thing WE do not yet know, although it's very likely DSK's attorneys and their investigative team DO, is who are the contacts in the Hotel who called Sarkozy's presidential residence to tell them of an arrest that HAD NOT YET HAPPENED, and who at the hotel told the French version of Andrew Breitbart about the same arrest that did not happen until hours later.

Initially it was the timeline that never made sense. The lies about DSK 'fleeing' and 'booking a flight' to quickly leave etc. etc. all of which conflicted with the facts and has now been corrected, by the Prosecutor's office. Although looking at the comments here you would think that Rupert Murdoch was the factual recorder of events, despite all evidence that obliterates the lies told in the tabloids.

Someone at the hotel knew a lot about an event that had not yet happened. But since DSK is suing Sarkozy's Political Party, they may be keeping that information to themselves, until they are in court.

I myself asked on Twitter the Andrew Breitbart clone who he was in contact with at the hotel, many people did actually, but he as expected, he did not respond. Now of course he will be put under oath and his phone records and the hotel's looked at.

There were glaring contradictions in this case from the very beginning which is what alerted people who actually care about facts, to withhold judgement until those questions were answered. The NYPD spokesperson, Browne, eg, conflicted in his statements with what was easily checked even then, but then, we are talking about the NYPD so that was no surprise.

Most of those questions very astute people were asking, have now been mostly answered. Except who at the hotel was the French connection. But I have a feeling that may already be known to the attorneys.

[defendandprotect]

84. Agree -- and there's also the matter of DSK's sperm on carpets/drapes ... !!

[Prometheus Bound]

6. And then there's the orgies with 15-year-olds. Even his wife has given up on him.

Girl, 15, is Dominique Strauss-Kahn vice witness
Claim of 11 orgies

By NICK PARKER, Chief Foreign Correspondent

Published: 18 Nov 2011
GIRLS as young as 15 emerged last night as key witnesses in the prostitute scandal engulfing shamed ex-finance chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The development came as the former International Monetary Fund boss was alleged to have taken part in 11 orgies over six years.

A 30-year-old vice girl called Florence claimed married Strauss-Kahn, 62, had demanded a stream of new partners. She added: "At these evenings, DSK had sex with every girl."

Florence is being quizzed by cops investigating a vice ring in Lille, northern France.

Prosecution files name a hooker, "Kelly B", who was 15. Others include six allegedly aged 15 to 16 who were made available to "prestige" clients.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3942876/Girl-15-is-Dominique-Strauss-Kahn-vice-witness.html

DSK’s Wife Considering Divorce After Rape Accusations, Prostitution Scandal

...But now a politician close to the French power couple said Anne has had enough and they “are thinking about (divorce or separation), that’s for sure.” The French newspaper Le Figaro even quoted “friends” of Anne who claim she thinks his reputation is getting “pathetic.”

The paper continues:

“ took an enormous whack on the head when she discovered the extent of the lies. But she doesn’t want to leave now as he is a lonely and desperate man.
http://www.thefrisky.com/2011-11-18/dsks-wife-considering-divorce-after-rape-accusations-prostitution-scandal/

[TheWraith]

18. Oh please, The Sun? Really?

That's just about the one venue that is actually WORSE than citing Fox News.

[Prometheus Bound]

32. Only the British tabloids had it in English. It was widely reported in the French press.

Closer was apparently the first one to report it.
http://www.closermag.fr/content/60907/exclusif-closerfr-dsk-bientot-entendu-dans-une-nouvelle-affaire

Oh, you can also find it in English in the Indian papers.

[TheWraith]

35. Meh. I have no liking at all for this guy, but if only the tabloids print it, there's a reason.

Really, I think the guy's a sleaze, which makes him an easy target for this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean everything is true.

[sabrina 1]

39. The French Press is being sued by both Strauss Kahn AND his Wife.

So much for their claims of 'his wife has given up on him'. Really, anything you read in the Sun is the same as what you see on Fox about Obama, eg.

[Prometheus Bound]

41. They're suing for invasion of privacy. They're not saying it's untrue.

Anyway, the breakup has been reported in many French papers along with the Times and the British tabloids. It's pretty obvious they're done. Poor woman being married to such a pig.

[sabrina 1]

44. "Strauss-Kahn and wife to sue over divorce claims"

Strauss-Kahn and wife to sue over divorce claims

The lawyers said they had been instructed by their clients to take all necessary legal action to put a stop to media reports which they described as "fantasizing."

"We are already examining what action to take over certain articles which indulge in the lowest form of voyeurism and provide no legitimate information to the public," lawyers Henri Leclerc and Frederique Beaulieu said in a statement.

Media reports in recent days cited anonymous sources close to the couple as saying Strauss-Kahn's wife, former television presenter Anne Sinclair, had run out of patience with him after his name surfaced in an investigation into a prostitution ring in the northern city of Lille, dubbed the Carlton Affair.

I think it's best to respect the woman's opinion of the tabloid garbage propagated by the rightwing press. I hope they get millions. She, apparently, doesn't agree with you.

[defendandprotect]

50. This is the "wife" who didn't defend her own godchild who had been attacked by DSK???

[sabrina 1]

53. I'm sorry, but hardly anyone believed the 'godchild', mainly

because she had joked about her meeting with DSK, until it apparently paid to do otherwise. That case was also dropped for lack of ANY evidence other than her word. We could all say we were raped, it is pretty frightening to see that without a shred of evidence, without any knowledge of the people involved, without a trial even, or charges filed, and without a conviction, once someone makes an accusation and the tabloids publish it, lives are ruined.

The first claim here was the 'wife has had enough and she's divorcing him'. But with that debunked, by the wife herself, now it's something else. He did not rape anyone and there has been NO EVIDENCE, NONE, to back up these claims. All of them are merely allegations and in the case of the woman in the US, that will go down in history of one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in our history. But he was a threat to the Global Capitalists currently destroying the world's economy and now democracies, and so it is no wonder he was so completely destroyed, he's lucky they didn't kill him, I suppose.

Once the tabloids get a hold of your life, and that is who have been after these people for a long time (anyone who opposed the Austerity Program of the Banks in Europe and Here is going to be a target of some very powerful people) because of the huge issues at stake for the Big Banks who are currently taking over Europe. With DSK out of the way, there was no more resistance of any importance.

Sorry to see how easy it was to effect this 'coup' of the one man who might have been able to stop them or at least to slow them down. But Rupert Murdoch is apparently more believable than Prosecutors, he can shout down the truth better than anyone. And even while we decry the takeover of our media, we still fall for the propaganda.

I made it a goal to never believe anything I read in the MSM and especially anything remotely related to the Murdoch Empire, until I research it myself, especially if the story has the serious implications on so many people, as this one did.

[defendandprotect]

68. Dozens of women are just making up stories about DSK .... ??? ROFL

[sabrina 1]

74. Well, dozens of women have said he was 'charming' and never

abusive to them. So, who knows? A comparative few have said otherwise and those are the ones whose cases were dismissed. Even his ex-wives have supported him. We believe what we want to, I guess, especially since we have no knowledge of anyone involved. The overwhelming evidence is in his favor actually.

Trial by Murdoch is not a good way to judge politically charged cases, especially when the target is more to the left.

[defendandprotect]

85. Godchild told story years ago of this "rutting pig" -- was that part of the plot???

DSK has also acknowledged his own sexually scandalous reputation as having harmed

him politically -- way before this NYC event.


When you're dealing with rape, you look at those who have had problems with the individual --

you do NOT -- as was done with Clarence Thomas at the Senate Hearings -- call in a few dozen

women who worked for him at the EEOC to say that they thought him "charming"!

While leaving another dozen or more who were aware of the sexual perversions of Clarence

Thomas sitting around without being called as witnesses.


14-20 women -- and perhaps more -- have had problems with DSK -- including his godchild.

Are "ex-wives" usually dependent upon wealthy husbands? Are there usually family concens

and commitments that will usually bring loyalty?


This guy reeks -- not only sexually but politically --

[defendandprotect]

49. Given the many past cases DSK has been involved in and this new report ....

Plus DSK's own acknowledgment of his sexual misbehavior over a long time

having hurt him politically -- confusing that anyone would still be trying

to defend ALL of this as a "plot" against him! ROFL

[Prometheus Bound]

54. Yes, normally I would just ignore a story this pathetic.

And I'm usually willing to give conspiracy theories a good listen, but this is so laughable, I just cringe.

And the man was promoted as a great man with a great mind, blah blah. Well if his mind really were worth two cents you'd think someone would want to pick his brain now on how to handle the gravest financial crisis Europe has been in perhaps ever, but obviously no one gives a shit because he was a phoney, his opinions now worthless.

[defendandprotect]

69. Agree ---

How DSK could possibly continue in politics is beyond me -- and he is

vehemently anti-union and workers' rights --- and most specifically

detests hotel labor unions which he has worked against in every way!

[dipsydoodle]

7. Better explanation here in the AP article

Strauss-Kahn lawyer eyes plot in downfall :

"We cannot now exclude the likelihood that Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the target of a deliberate effort to destroy him as a political force," Taylor said in a statement.

The article, an advanced copy of which was provided to AFP, analyzes key card data and other records from the New York Sofitel where Strauss-Kahn was staying when he allegedly sexually assaulted a room maid on May 14.

The article, due to be published on Saturday, notably questions whether a missing BlackBerry phone had been hacked by Strauss-Kahn's political rivals.

It quotes unnamed sources close to Strauss-Kahn saying that he had been warned in a text message the day of his arrest that an email he'd sent to his wife from the BlackBerry had been read at the offices of Sarkozy's UMP party in Paris.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iufQ31N8CUsnnLAzQqFVM1kHo3mA?docId=CNG.d591c54609e96fd5794db20207494fbf.121

[russspeakeasy]

14. They may wish they hadn't opened this can of worms.

[defendandprotect]

25. DSK wouldn't have been difficult to catch at just about ANYTHING -- !!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=5071407&mesg_id=5071440

[truthisfreedom]

79. Curious. If true, his weakness was exploited very well.

[_eh]

8. The dog ate his homework

Awwwwww...

[MicaelS]

9. Oh FFS....I knew shit like this would come out...

The man is a serial rapist, he has just never been convicted in a court of law.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

10. The plot was to have a female human be near him.

:*

[Prometheus Bound]

73. That made me laugh.

A devastatingly clever plan to take down the great man.

[JDPriestly]

11. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was known as having an uncontrolled

libido. That was his vulnerability.

Whether or not there was a plot, his accuser's story did not make sense in the case at the Sofitel. And DSK's history was of harassing women, not raping them.

An excerpt from the article:

The most unusual evidence described by Epstein is a security video of the hotel's engineer, Brian Yearwood, and an unidentified man apparently celebrating the day's events. Earlier, Yearwood had been communicating with John Sheehan, a security expert at Accor, which owns Sofitel, and whose boss, René-Georges Querry, once worked with a man now in intelligence for Sarkozy.

The unidentified man with Yearwood had been spotted previously on hotel security cameras accompanying Diallo to the hotel's security office after the alleged attack. The video shows the men near the area where Diallo is recounting her story and, less than two minutes after police have been called, they seem to congratulate each other enthusiastically. "The two men high-five each other, clap their hands, and do what looks like an extraordinary dance of celebration that lasts for three minutes. They are then shown standing by the service door … apparently waiting for the police to arrive," Epstein writes.

Epstein meticulously pieces together the movements of hotel staff and Strauss-Kahn by examining the electronic records left by their room keys and phones. These show Diallo entered the room between 12.06 and 12.07pm. At 12.13pm, Strauss-Kahn called his daughter about having lunch. During those six or seven minutes, Diallo said she was brutally sexually attacked and dragged around the room.

. . . .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/26/dominique-strauss-kahn-hotel-maid

There is also information about a lost phone that belonged to DSK and Diallo's visit to the hotel room next to DSK's after being in DSK's room. There are questions also about another hotel employee who entered DSK's room right around the time Diallo did, who was not shown by hotel records to have left that room and who refuses to be interviewed by DSK's attorneys thus far.

In cases like this in which the political stakes are so high, never jump to conclusions. French history is full of strange conspiracy theories and for good reason.

I will keep an open mind on this one. It appears that DSK offended a lot of women. But that does not mean that he could not have been set up this one time. In fact, conservatives have been known to undermine their opponents by exploiting the opponent's weakness for political gain. Doesn't mean that is what happened here, but doesn't mean that is not what happens here. We just don't know.

Bill Clinton was a womanizer -- but the American people elected him for two presidential terms knowing that fact.

We don't know what kind of president DSK might have made for France. But it was clear before this event that Sarkozy was quite worried that DSK might become the president of France.

[boppers]

16. "It appears that DSK offended a lot of women." Really?

Interesting choice of Avatar.

[JDPriestly]

21. And guess what? I am a woman and I have been married

to the same wonderful man for many years.

I have the Edwards avatar because I liked his stands on Two Americas, on economics. I think he was the only candidate who saw where we were headed and could have maybe helped us change our course.

I am appalled at his treatment of his wife, but I have that avatar to remind people that there are Democrats who would be able to understand and act correctly with regard to our economic problems. Obama has failed on the economy.

Bernie Sanders is just one of a number of people who could get my vote.

[Dover]

37. "interesting choice of avatar"....rofl!!!!!!

touche!

[SoapBox]

12. And he simply walks around...like Sandusky.

Never fails to amaze, how the Holy and Pious crowd, allow these pervs to be free.

Protest in front of a bank?

BEATING and then JAIL!

...things are screwed up.

[sabrina 1]

34. Except he was not guilty and the woman was a con artist.

You clearly haven't read the prosecutor's statement to the court when he dropped the case. Murdoch's Rag, where most of the 'perv' garbage appeared before anyone knew anything about this case, appears to carry more weight still, than the actual facts revealed by the prosecutor himself. How sad that is for our country, a corrupt tabloid 'journalist' who never had any regard for facts, now close to going to jail himself for REAL corruption, still has so much influence, that even after a case is dropped with a lengthy statement from the prosecutor, it is the tabloid rag's view of things that prevails.

We really have to make taking the media out of the hands of these Corporate tools, a primary goal for the near future. They have destroyed all of our political discourse and when they set out to smear someone, which they do on a regular basis, no amount of proof to the contrary can retrieve the reputations of those they target.

[Prometheus Bound]

80. Amen. The press set him free even before the prosecutor's report came out.

And slandered the alleged rape victim.

[DallasNE]

13. Don't They Have DNA

Of Strauss-Kahn from the scene? And didn't he confess to consentual sex, which is legal. Some setup indeed.

[Odin2005]

15. I bet he thinks Roman Polanski is a swell guy, too.

[DeSwiss]

17. Of course there was a plot against Dominique Strauss-Kahn!

And it worked!!! The fact that he is a slob and a cretin had nothing to do with it.


- That's just icing on the cake......

K&R

[Dover]

22. I concur. I think it was pretty obviously a plot to take him down, otherwise our gov would have

covered for him. Interesting timing too, DSK's arrest was just prior to the G8 in late May, where Obama met with Sarkozy.

[defendandprotect]

26. Right ... and here's another PLOT against DSK ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=5071407&mesg_id=5071440



:eyes:

[EFerrari]

43. The Sun also publishes stories about Big Foot and JoJo the Dogfaced Boy. nt

[Prometheus Bound]

57. The Sun was reporting a news story that was well covered in the French press.

Has anyone here shown that it is inaccurate?

[EFerrari]

64. "The legal age for prostitutes in France is 18, and there's no suggestion

Strauss-Kahn slept with them."

Not only is this a none event but it has nothing to do with the rape charge except that it is a sex story.

[defendandprotect]

87. Too easy to "kill the messenger" -- ROFL

The thing that gets me is that DSK isn't simply undesirable as far as his

behavior with women goes -- by his own admission --

DSK is immensely undesirable in any office -- IMF or heading up France.

So I'm amazed at the efforts to try to restore his "reputation" -- !! :eyes:

[CJCRANE]

51. The Sun is owned by Rupert Murdoch...

The News of the World was the Sunday edition, that paper got closed down due to criminal activities. The Sun is pretty much just a RW propaganda outlet spiced up with titillation and entertainment fluff.

The Times (UK) is also owned by Rupert Murdoch. It's a conservative paper and often has planted stories that are beneficial for the neocons.

[Prometheus Bound]

58. The same thing was reported in the mainstream French press.

[EFerrari]

65. But the story is, he was at sex parties with hookers

where there were under aged sex workers. Not that he personally hired them or slept with them. That makes him a rich guy who hires hookers. Not much of a story.

I don't doubt this guy is horrible to women. But that doesn't make him a rapist.

[defendandprotect]

71. It doesn't not make him a rapist, either -- given his past history ....

a history he has also acknowledged as being detrimental to his political career.

This is also a man who disdains unions and very specifically hotel workers' unions.

Any chance you see a "plot" in that direction given the many maids around the world

who have been sexually attacked?

One plot is as good as another, I suppose?

[EFerrari]

72. There used to be this thing called the presumption of innocence. n/t

[defendandprotect]

81. DSK had the right to be presumed innocent and was NOT charged ....

However, we all have common sense and can read and hear --

This man himself has called attention to his questionable sexual behavior --

long before this recent incident in NYC -- noting that it had hurt him politically

long before the NYC event.


There were before that incidents involving 14-20 others who accused him of attacking them

sexually.

His own godchild -- who had previously not brought charges in consideration of

family ties -- finally became so astounded at the lack of action against him that

she tried to bring charges.

Again -- whatever you think of the NYC event -- this man reeks!

[NashVegas]

19. How Interesting

That he choose to stay in a hotel owned by people in the security business, rather than a traditional hospitality corp.

Kind of like Daniel Pearl staying in a hotel that was crawling with ISI.

[suffragette]

55. Link to Epstein's article -this is the article being cited in The Guardian.

http://media.nybooks.com/strauss.html

This is the 1st article I've seen that actually provides a timeline using the keycard and video timestamps, as well as phone records with exact time noted.

Although there have been many timelines put forth and posited, this is the most meticulous research and investigation I've seen on it.

[Prometheus Bound]

61. Epstein appears to be a liar though.

He said employees were seen celebrating for 3 minutes. The hotel says the film shows an encounter of 8 seconds with no dance of celebration.

«L'article affirme que deux employés du Sofitel auraient été filmés par les caméras de surveillance de l'hôtel «se réjouissant» pendant trois minutes. En réalité, ces faits ont duré huit secondes, sans qu'aucune «extraordinaire danse de fête» n'ait pu être constatée», assure le Sofitel.

Le management de l'hôtel dit avoir interrogé ces deux hommes depuis la parution de l'article. Ils «ont catégoriquement nié que cet échange ait quelque lien que ce soit avec Monsieur Strauss-Kahn».
http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2011/11/26/01016-20111126ARTFIG00343-affaire-dsk-diallo-la-reponse-d-accor-aux-revelations.php

[suffragette]

67. Looks like reporting on this is rapidly changing

So much so that I had an article up by The Telegraph which was changed by the next time I returned to it.

Can see the change through Google news, by searching for "Wigdor confirmed" though I'm not sure how long that will remain visible.


From the article as originally written:

‎
Telegraph.co.uk - Peter Allen - Jon Swaine - 2 hours ago
But Mr Wigdor confirmed that he had seen the surveillance video of the joyful meeting between two hotel employees. “Who knows why they are celebrating? ...


Now changed to:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/dominique-strauss-kahn/8918862/Dominique-Strauss-Kahn-conspiracy-theory-denied-by-New-York-Sofitel.html
Commenting on the surveillance video, Mr Wigdor said: “Who knows why they are celebrating?” he said. “There was no audio”.


Wigdor is not part of Accor. He is the maid's lawyer.

Epstein noted on Twitter that 16 hours ago Accor was saying the tape did not exist and now they have changed that to what you posted.

Found this which indicates the above:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8918128/Dominique-Strauss-Kahn-former-IMF-chief-may-be-victim-of-plot-to-destroy-him.html
The Accor Group, which owns the Sofitel chain, did not make an initial comment about the Epstein article. Le Figaro quoted a source close to the group as saying that Accor staff had searched security tapes for any evidence of the alleged dance and found nothing, but Liberation said that a "judicial source" has seen the footage described by Mr Epstein.

[sabrina 1]

76. Great post, thank you.

They should be careful as we/they do not know what Strauss Kahn's lawyers in NY and their investigative team have dug up either. I recall they threatened to use their info should there be a trial.

Interesting that they are changing the reporting so fast. Lol, you are good, suffragette to almost catch them in the act.

[defendandprotect]

86. Would presume the prosecutor's office would have asked for all videos ....

in which case any final word on the video and "behaviors" should be confirmed or

denied by them.

[suffragette]

90. Since they already dropped the case, they might not comment on this

The point you make about them and NYPD having the videos and other evidence which specifies time is one I agree with and a reason why the earlier reporting on this was an issue to me. At that time there was constant shifting of the timeline, much of which did not add up and at one point by the NYPD itself, when they had clear access to all of this specific time evidence.

[defendandprotect]

91. Agree -- and that has left huge abyss where "he said"/"she said" does its work on both sides....

Eventually, we come down to pro/con sides battling it out without any real

information.


What I continue to argue is that this man himself has acknowledged his own

propensity for sexual scandal and that was long ago -- and he additionally

made clear that it had hurt his political career.


Too many women have accused DSK of assault over the decades -- including his

wife's godchild who accused him years ago -- to suggest that his problems

are the fault of plots against him.


This is not by any means anyone we should want to see resurrected in politics!

DSK is viciously anti union -- and especially concentrated on destroying hotel

workers' union.

[defendandprotect]

82. Interesting -- and wasn't his DNA/sperm found in the hotel room -- on drapes, etal ...???

[bemildred]

62. Right, and I might be a brain surgeon. nt

[harvey007]

66. It was a frame job

I don't know if he deserved to be brought down or not, but people get framed all the time...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/ex-nypd-cop-we-planted-ev_n_1009754.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frameup

[defendandprotect]

88. And people also get their reputations restored -- people like Nixon ... !!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

75. And don't forget, his wife told him, "That doesn't even sound like anything you would ever do."

:*

[Prometheus Bound]

89. Man, I sure am glad I'm not on record defending this pig.

[defendandprotect]

92. Has the "plot" accounted yet for his sperm being left in room -- ?

[Prometheus Bound]

99. No, Epstein conveniently skips over minor details like that.

There were quantities of physical evidence rarely seen in such investigations: credible outcry witnesses and key-card records, conclusive DNA in sperm mixed with saliva, and a victim, Diallo, who told her story to police again and again with only the slightest discrepancies in her account. But the Manhattan district attorney eventually dropped all charges because prosecutors concluded the illiterate Diallo, with a long record of lying on official documents and a few low-life friends in the African immigrant community, wouldn’t be good on the stand.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/28/why-dominique-strauss-kahn-needs-to-tell-his-side-of-the-story.html

[Prometheus Bound]

93. DSK ally dismisses 'grand plot' to discredit him

DSK ally dismisses 'grand plot' to discredit him
A close Socialist friend of Dominique Strauss-Kahn yesterday poured cold water on reports that the former IMF chief had been the victim of a grand "plot" to discredit him.

By Henry Samuel, Paris
5:58PM GMT 28 Nov 2011

Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, MP for Paris and a long-standing ally of the one-time presidential hopeful, said he did not believe the conspiracy theory.

.....Mr Cambadélis told i-tale: "I don't believe in the conspiracy theory."

"I get the impression that Dominique Strauss-Kahn has enough legal proceedings not to add any more," he said in response to whether he intended to file a legal complaint.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/dominique-strauss-kahn/8921184/DSK-ally-dismisses-grand-plot-to-discredit-him.html

[Prometheus Bound]

94. The New Yorker: Strauss-Kahn and the Dancing Men

November 28, 2011
Strauss-Kahn and the Dancing Men
Posted by Amy Davidson

.....“Extraordinary dance of celebration”? Sofitel’s parent company, Accor, released a statement disputing Epstein’s story generally, as well as two particular facts in it:

The article states that two Sofitel employees were seen “celebrating” on tape for three minutes. In fact, the incident in question lasted only 8 seconds and both employees categorically deny this exchange had anything to do with Mr. Strauss-Kahn. In regards to room 2820, the hotel’s digital history indicates the guest checked out of this room at 11:36am with the housekeeper cleaning the room shortly thereafter. Again, the innuendo that the guest in room 2820 was involved in the incident is false and utterly baseless.

.....Epstein assembles the components of a Rube Goldberg machine of a conspiracy that, if you put it in motion, seems to turn on a controller in room 2820 reckoning that sending a maid into the room of a man who was packing to leave would yield the D.N.A. evidence of a sexual encounter. Perhaps the shadowy figures behind this knew Strauss-Kahn so well that they felt they could, indeed, count on such a thing. (What that assumption says about Strauss-Kahn is another matter.)

...according to a source the Daily Beast spoke to, the dancing men back at the Sofitel “said they couldn’t recall the exact reason for their fleeting celebratory behavior but that they believed it may have involved sports, which they frequently talked about.”

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2011/11/strauss-kahn-and-the-dancing-men.html#ixzz1f43O9qWF

[Prometheus Bound]

95. NY Magazine: Sofitel Hotel Answers DSK Conspiracy Questions

Sofitel Hotel Answers DSK Conspiracy Questions
Yesterday at 3:42 PM

<snip>
1. The Odd Employee Celebration

Epstein describes security footage from the New York City hotel that shows Sofitel chief engineer Brian Yearwood and an "unidentified man" doing "what looks like an extraordinary dance of celebration that lasts for three minutes" after receiving a text message from the hotel's security chief John Sheehan, who had just made a call to a mysterious Frenchman at a 646 number (more on that in a minute). The hotel staff was questioning Diallo, but had not yet alerted police.

The hotel says: "In fact, the incident in question lasted only 8 seconds and both employees categorically deny this exchange had anything to do with Mr. Strauss-Kahn." The Daily Beast reports that the employees "couldn’t recall the exact reason for their fleeting celebratory behavior but that they believed it may have involved sports, which they frequently talked about."

2. The (Maybe) Shadowy Guest in Room 2820

Epstein reports that Diallo repeatedly entered a room near DSK's both before and after the alleged assault, but told investigators otherwise, which was "inexplicable" to the prosecution, who ultimately passed on the case citing Diallo's inconsistencies. Epstein writes: "We still do not know if there was anyone in 2820 when she entered it again following the encounter with DSK or if, prior to the police arriving, anyone influenced her to omit mention of room 2820."

The hotel says: "The hotel’s digital history indicates the guest checked out of this room at 11:36 a.m. with the housekeeper cleaning the room shortly thereafter ... Again, the innuendo that the guest in Room 2820 was involved in the incident is false and utterly baseless."

The Daily Beast reports:

Diallo explained the first two times she keyed the room, the guest was still present and asked for more time to check out. The third time, she said, she went in and cleaned the room before proceeding to Strauss-Kahn’s suite around 12:06 p.m. She alleges she was brutally attacked after entering DSK’s suite. Diallo said she returned to Room 2820 briefly after the incident to pick up her cleaning gear.

3. The 646 Call

Epstein writes that Sheehan "called a number with a 646 prefix in the United States. But from these records neither the name nor the location of the person he called can be determined. When I called the number a man with a heavy French accent answered and asked whom I wanted to speak with at Accor." He guesses that Sheehan might have been reaching out to his Accor supervisor, who happens to be friends with a member of the Sarkozy administration.

The hotel says: Yes, Sheehan called his supervisor at Accor, because that's proper protocol when reporting an incident at one of the chain's hotels.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/11/sofitel-hotel-answers-dsk-conspiracy-questions.html

[Prometheus Bound]

96. The Daily Beast: "DSK Hotel Lashes Out"

DSK Hotel Lashes Out
The Daily Beast, Monday, November 28, 2011, 6:43am (PST)

By John Solomon, The Daily Beast

In the months after one of its housekeepers alleged Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her when she went to clean his room, the luxury Sofitel Hotel in New York City kept a low public profile.

Behind the scenes it cooperated with prosecutors, the alleged victim, and DSK's defense, complying with subpoenas to provide documents, security-card records, and even security-video footage. But publicly, it chose to say little, hoping to maintain a neutral position in a white-hot international scandal.

But all that changed Sunday when the Sofitel's parent company issued a statement excoriating a journal article that suggested the hotel, its employees, or maybe even a guest on the same floor where the May 14 incident occurred might be involved in a conspiracy to set up the powerful French politician. The article is “inaccurate and speculative,” the hotel declared.

.....

In a statement issued Sunday by its French-based parent Accor Group, the Sofitel sharply criticized the NYRB article as “inaccurate and speculative” and noted it had “has cooperated with law enforcement authorities for the entirety of this case as was its civic and legal obligation.'

...The Sofitel specifically challenged the article's assertion that two of its employees were caught on video celebrating for three minutes. “In fact, the incident in question lasted only 8 seconds and both employees categorically deny this exchange had anything to do with Mr. Strauss-Kahn,” the hotel's statement said.

A source familiar with the hotel's evidence, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Beast that all security-video footage was reviewed again this weekend and that two employees were questioned in connection with the Review article. The two employees said they couldn't recall the exact reason for their fleeting celebratory behavior but that they believed it may have involved sports, which they frequently talked about, the source said.

The Sofitel also challenged the assertion that on the morning of the alleged attack a guest in Room 2820, located around the corner from Strauss-Kahn's suite, had anything to do with incident between Strauss-Kahn and the housekeeper.

More: http://powerwall.msnbc.msn.com/politics/dsk-hotel-lashes-out-1707759.story

[Prometheus Bound]

97. Salon: For some it's easier to believe in a conspiracy than sexual assault.

Monday, Nov 28, 2011 9:09 PM UTC
Was Dominique Strauss-Kahn set up?
For conspiracy theorists, it's easier to believe in secret phone calls and a "victory dance" than sexual assault

It is, apparently, far easier to believe many things — or at least to suggest them — than it is to believe that Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted a maid at the Sofitel in New York on May 14.

.....Why should we believe that something happened to DSK as opposed to him doing something? Epstein never offers a coherent alternative theory of what happened at the Sofitel, only an exhaustive timeline, a diagram and a series of mysterious details that may add up to nothing at all. Those details include Diallo visiting another room after the encounter, with no details known about its occupant; the Sofitel’s unexplained delay in calling the police, and a silent victory dance of three men caught on camera.

The timeline reveals that the encounter took place in a time frame of six to seven minutes — just after Diallo entered the room, just before DSK chatted on the phone with his daughter. (The piece doesn’t ask the coarser, biologically puzzling question of how a 62-year-old man was able to initiate and complete the act so quickly.) Epstein doesn’t mention injuries logged in a medical report cited by Diallo’s lawyers (DSK’s lawyers contested it, saying the injuries described were self-reported or could have been from consensual sex), but he does mention how tall she is. (She is taller than DSK.)

What happened in those six to seven minutes besides DSK’s semen getting mixed with Diallo’s mouth? He has never had to publicly offer an explanation, even if he can’t deny it happened. Maybe she was irresistibly seduced by him in those minutes. Maybe a transaction was negotiated, except that Diallo’s lawyers were confident enough that it wasn’t to sue the New York Post for libel after it printed anonymous reports that Diallo was working as a prostitute. Or maybe he sexually assaulted and tried to rape her. As hard as these things are to imagine in a world of mysterious victory dances, they do happen. Even to women who get confused about the timeline, or who have lied about rape to get a green card.

More: http://www.salon.com/2011/11/28/was_dominique_strauss_kahn_set_up/singleton/#

[A-Schwarzenegger]

98. But his phone went missing!

How else could he have lost his phone unless there's a conspiracy!?

[AverageJoe90]

100. Frankly, I have had the same suspicion for some time.

http://spitfirelist.com/news/imf-chief-called-for-world-currency-before-he-was-charged-with-sexual-assault/

Hmm......I wonder......