First Look: ABC Releases Part of Morning Interview With DSK Rape Accuser
- Posted on July 25, 2011 at 7:54am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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NEW YORK (AP) — The hotel housekeeper accusing Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her is telling her story publicly, she says, because she wants the former International Monetary Fund leader behind bars. But it’s hard to say whether her striking move will help or hobble her goal.
Nafissatou Diallo’s decision to speak out in media interviews is an unusual and risky move for an accuser at this point in a criminal case, legal experts said.
It gives her an empowering chance to tell her side of the story as prosecutors weigh whether to press ahead with the case amid their concerns about her credibility. But it also enshrines a version of events that defense lawyers could mine for discrepancies with her grand jury testimony or use as fodder to argue she was seeking money or public attention.
Whatever the outcome, “it’s an extraordinary turn of events, I would say, for her to go on a kind of lobbying, public relations campaign to get this case tried,” said Pace Law School professor and former prosecutor Bennett L. Gershman.
After staying silent for nearly two months about an alleged attack that Strauss-Kahn vehemently denies, Diallo gave her account to Newsweek and ABC News.
Adding details and her own voice to the basics authorities have given, Diallo said the former IMF leader grabbed and attacked her “like a crazy man” in his $3,000-a-night Manhattan hotel suite on May 14 as she implored him to stop and feared for her job.
“I push him. I get up. I wanted to scare him. I said, `Look, there is my supervisor right there,’” she told Newsweek in an interview in her lawyer’s office. But Strauss-Kahn said no one was there to hear, she said, and he went on to yank up her uniform dress, tear down her pantyhose, forcefully grab her crotch and then grip her head and force her to perform oral sex.
Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers called the interviews “an unseemly circus” designed to inflame public opinion.
The interviews come with the case against Strauss-Kahn in limbo after Manhattan prosecutors raised doubts about the housekeeper’s overall credibility. They said on July 1 that she had lied about her life story and gave inconsistent descriptions about what she did right after the alleged attack.
The disclosures prompted her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, to criticize the district attorney, press prosecutors to keep going with the case and even call for a special prosecutor to take over.
Diallo told her interviewers she wants Strauss-Kahn held accountable, and she was going public to tell a story she said had never wavered, to counter misleading portrayals of her and to address doubts about her trustworthiness.
“I want him to go to jail. I want him to know there are some places you cannot use your power, you cannot use your money,” she told Newsweek.
Diallo told ABC she didn’t know Strauss-Kahn was a high-profile French politician until later.
“I was watching the news and they said he’s going to be the next president of France,” she said. “I said, `Oh, my God.’ I was crying. `They’re going to kill me. I’m going to die.’”
Before Sunday, the 32-year-old Guinean immigrant’s name had been reported by some French media outlets but not by major U.S. media, which generally protect the identities of people who say they’ve been sexually assaulted.
“I never want to be in public, but I have no choice,” she said, according to ABC News. “God is my witness I’m telling the truth.”
But against the backdrop of uncertainty about her believability and motives, the interviews may raise as many questions as they answer, legal observers said.
“On the one hand, there’s an upside that perhaps it will encourage the prosecutors to move forward with their case. On the other hand, there’s the risk that whatever she says can be used against her in a civil or criminal case, especially with respect to any inconsistencies,” said Sanford Rubenstein, a New York lawyer who has represented victims in noted cases – and advised them not to give interviews while the case was ongoing, he said. His clients have included Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant who was tortured in a New York City police station bathroom in 1997.
Prosecutors generally discourage potential witnesses in criminal cases from speaking outside court while a case is pending, partly to avoid creating multiple accounts that could diverge, even slightly. In a trial, such gaps can become thin edges of a wedge for adversaries to drive doubts about an accuser‘s veracity into jurors’ minds.
“The more that’s out there, the more you’re susceptible on cross-examination,” said Elizabeth Crotty, a defense lawyer and former Manhattan assistant district attorney.
The housekeeper’s interviews also could provide an avenue for Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers to suggest she was out for publicity or cash, a notion that already has shadowed the case. A day after Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, she was recorded alluding to his wealth on a phone call with an incarcerated friend, a law enforcement official has said.
Newsweek said she had not ruled out trying to make some money from her situation, a suggestion that a civil lawsuit could be forthcoming, though she told the magazine, “I don’t think about money.”
The interviews nonetheless could tempt prosecutors to bow out rather than go forward with the case because “she’s already trying it in the court of public opinion,” Gershman said.
The DA’s office has said its investigation, not external factors, will determine the outcome. Communications chief Erin Duggan said Sunday the investigation was continuing and declined to discuss the case further.
In the interviews, Diallo addresses some of the inconsistencies that already have rocked the case.
She testified to a grand jury that after the alleged attack, she cowered in a hallway and watched Strauss-Kahn leave, then told a supervisor. Prosecutors said earlier this month that she later told them she actually had gone on cleaning rooms before consulting her boss. Diallo told Newsweek she was disoriented and went into the rooms briefly before a supervisor appeared and asked why she was upset, but the maid denied changing her account.
Diallo also lied about her background, including by telling prosecutors an emotional story of being gang-raped in her homeland, they said. She told Newsweek she was raped by two soldiers but acknowledged she had embellished her life story on her 2003 asylum application; prosecutors have said she told them she repeated the lies to them to be consistent.
Strauss-Kahn lawyers Benjamin Brafman and William W. Taylor III rapped Diallo for conducting “a media campaign to persuade a prosecutor to pursue charges against a person from whom she wants money.” They are pressing for the case to be dismissed.
Thompson fired back with a statement of his own, saying Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers – who have said whatever happened in the suite wasn’t forced – “have conducted an unprecedented smear campaign against the victim of a violent sexual attack.”
The American Bar Association’s professional conduct rules tell lawyers not to make public statements out of court that are likely to prejudice the case. But the rules don’t apply to their clients and in a heavily covered case like Strauss-Kahn’s, it‘s questionable how much any lawyer’s remark “will affect the jury when there’s so much publicity already out there,” said Ellen Yaroshevsky, a legal ethicist at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
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Comments (47)
gpk
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 12:45pmWonder what Tawana Brawley has to say about it? Character witness. What a farce.
Report Post »Penn
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 11:59amRobin Roberts is 5′10″ tall. It looks like the maid is around 5′7″ 5′8″. DSK is barely 5′2″. I‘m going to believe that a 5’8″ 32 year old female was wrestled to her knees and forced to perform oral sex by an overweight 62 year old? And not leave teethmarks!!?? DSK may be a dirtbag, he probably is one but anyone who buys this lady’s story would probably buy the Brooklyn Bridge.
Report Post »DrFrost
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 12:15pmI have to admit this occurred to me. DSK looks pretty old and frail and this lady looks young and strong. I have a hard time believing she couldn’t get away. If she would have screamed certainly someone would have heard her. And, as you pointed out, a hard bite at the appropriate time would have settled the issue once and for all. All this suggests she wasn’t fighting too hard, which I could believe if he had used a gun or knife, but according to her statement he did not. Add to this the fact that‘s she’s lied to get what she wanted before (gaining entrance to this country for example) and the waters are left extremely muddied.
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 6:46pmProblely refused to pay for her service.
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 6:49pmMaybe she needs to do some subway boxing training.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 10:20amTyranny
Report Post »Attention2Detail
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 10:04amWhat a bunch of heartless jerks. Those of you who make fun of the woman‘s looks should remember that rape is a show of power so her looks don’t matter. The fact that she is ugly actually supports her story. Now when the case is over, she should be deported for lying on her asylum application and Strauss-Kahn should never be allowed in the country again, even if he is elected president of France (or especially if elected).
Report Post »LadyIzShy
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:57amher past is her past let the COURTS sort it out
Report Post »nptden
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:28amGod is my witness. From my heart. It’s a fact that people like this should not be allowed into our country. It’s based on color. Simply that. And most of them are dirt bags. Look at the recent lottery for immigrants. See how skewed it is for blacks, Latinos and Muslims. Time for whites to stand up for their own. The lefties are stacking the deck for political reasons. At that reason is they are Marxists and want power. Wake up America.
Report Post »Wilma
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 10:13amGod is not just your witness, but your judge as well.
Report Post »BocaBaby
Posted on July 26, 2011 at 6:32pmHonestly, This guy is a pig with a capital P……or I think they called him the TOAD……
I beleive this woman. I absolutly beleive she is telling the truth, and I think that the TOAD will always be a TOAD…..this is far more about just her being attacked physically. The TOAD has made a deal that is absolutely trying to get him off.
Justice needs to be served here in the US, before he goes one day to meet his maker.
And you people who are attacking her based on her looks??????? Who are you????? Trolls from Huffpo??? Or just really, over the top physically attractive men, previously employed by GQ????
Grow up, try being a little kinder, and seriously……what do you think the TOAD looks like????? That’s right…….. a TOAD.
Report Post »stogieguy7
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:15amReally? He digs THAT? At the minimum, he should be locked up for having poor taste!
And, as much of as slimeball as he is, she seems equally slimy. I wouldn’t trust either of them to tell the truth.
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:35amI agree 100%.
Report Post »timej31
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:10amI feel both her and DSK need to leave the United States and never come back. Stop bringing in your drama to OUR (not yours) country and go home. Just go home. This is our home and you all are just visitors.
Report Post »GMI
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:01amWow, if that french dude touched this, he‘s got more problems than he’ll ever fix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Barry
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:59amShe’s looking to cash in.
Report Post »eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:53amWait a minute – this is the woman who was supposedly attacked? What, do all of the maids at this hotel where bags over their heads? Back to scrubbing toilets, Honey.
Report Post »LOTO
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:51amThis furthers the case that there should be cameras in every hotel room.
Report Post »Breadman
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:44amI feel that Diallo is probably telling the truth.Being down here in the south these past few years I have met some real arrogant white people and the more money they themselves had, the more they felt they could run over people(especially minorities).ABC News is pushing this story and the one about the white man that did that masacre over in Norway.Can you see the message trying to be portrayed?Who‘s to say they aren’t correct in pushing this message. Haven’t there been many examples of the white man acting too big for his britches?
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:48amYou know, living down here in the South all my life, I’ve been seeing more and more minority males with a lot of money. It would appear that the more money they themselves had, the more arrogant and rude they became. In addition to that, the more members of their “posse” they had, the more entitled they felt to physically take whatever they wanted from the white people – or to just beat them up for no apparent reason. It’s not just here in the South, it’s EVERYWHERE. Did you hear about the gang of minority teens who rampaged through a park in WI looking for whites to pummel? How about the animals who descend on South Beach in Miami every Memorial Day weekend? They turn that place into an urban war zone. So, don’t you think there are more than enough minorities who are thinking that they are WAY TOO BIG for their droopy britches?
Report Post »TankZ71
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:35amShes a Gold Digger ! All she was doing was looking to get paid the big one! Send her back to where she came from.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:33amBe serious now for a second…did the word “fugly” pop into anyones mind?
Report Post »TankZ71
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:40amFugly is correct! LOL! That there sir is a woman who fell out of a Fugly tree. This whole interview stinks!
Report Post »TankZ71
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:32amShes a gold digger! Looking to get paid big.
Report Post »GulfPeg
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:31amWhere there is smoke, there is fire, as the saying goes. This guy is guilty of something!
Report Post »I Love Howie Carr
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:44amI agree, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves for calling her ugly. Rapists don’t care if the girl is ugly. I feel sorry for her, this is why women don’t report rapes, they’re accused of being ugly/slutty and just looking for money/attention.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:56amI agree…maybe Anita Hill can give her some pointers?
Report Post »stogieguy7
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:12amBut, she is ugly – so, yeah, he has some major issues if he is into that. (And I love Howie Carr too)
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:30amOK, you’re a millionaire international finance guy, you’re in New York in one of the finest hotels in the world, obviously money is no object. My guess would be there are some world calss call girls available for this guy but instead, he rapes this woman? I’m having a hard time buying it.
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:38amShe is pretty nasty looking isn’t she?
Report Post »Pyx
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:27am” … is my witness I’m telling the truth.”
Oh yeah. We should completely believe a prostitute who is moslem. < / end of dripping sarcasm
Report Post »Silent_Majority
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:27amI’m sorry, I do not believe her
Why would she contact people after the incident seeking advice as to how she could profit from this.
I would like to believe her, but cannot.
The whole Duke rape case does come to mind.
Report Post »Oil_Robb
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:07amI was thinking the same thing……..by the way America lets more people in?…what the 15 million Illegals wont clean hotels now?
Report Post »palmettopalflorida
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:20amFollow the money: I am going to theorize that the “victim” was silent for two months because it took this long to get her prepped by her lawyers and an acting couch, and to get her story straight, so they can eventually bring a civil suit against deep pockets Dominique Strauss-Kahn. I have not viewed the video, and will not, since I have no more interest her story, or Strauss-Kahn’s version, than I do with an episode of “The Jerry Springer Show.” If ABC smells some money in this, well, shame on them for becoming this woman’s new pimp. Not that I have anything against ABC, lawyers, pimps, prostitutes or former International Monetary Fund leaders. All of whom, it appears, have found some common ground. A herd of swine fighting for feeding rights at the swill bucket.
Report Post »hersey10
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:28amLet’s recap , she made rape accusations , he was jailed , she was found to be lying , he‘s released and now she’s given the credibility to do a media tour ?
Report Post »busterpuddles
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:13amI’m always skeptical about these types of stories, especailly after the DUKE rape case.
Report Post »Servant Of YHVH
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:24amThat is an excellent statement! We don’t want to lessen the severity of something like this happening for real regardless of what type of person the accuser is. But, we also definitely don’t want to automatically say that the accused is guilty because of like you said. The Duke case is a prime example.
Report Post »Fina Biscotti
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:04amSomething is UP that ABC is giving airtime to this ugly w****.
Keeping this garbage in the forefront – beats out OPERATION Fast and FURIOUS as Obama’s WATERGATE!!!!!
Report Post »LOTO
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:03amYes, and so do the 3 mass shootings over the weekend. I dont understand why these people cannot have the decency to kill other people with a ball bat, knife, bow and arrow, chainsaw, or something much more creative to protect the rights of the rest of us to carry arms. Guns are for self defense. Please those of you that are planning violent crimes please consider the rights of others. Seriously, shootings are terrible but literally millions of other people did not shoot anyone today. But the 3 or 4 that did are making headlines and legitimizing Fast and Furious and other gun control causes. It is disturbing.
Report Post »Fina Biscotti
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:03amShe screwed herself – LYING to investigators about being gang-raped in her homeland.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 7:59am.
Report Post »Nobody Cares….Just cash the Check already, and go away…………..