The U.K.'s Daily Mail is reporting that Kenneth Thompson, one of the attorneys for the 32-year-old maid at the center of the rape case involving former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is asking other alleged victims to come forward. The request comes on the heels of DSK's lawyers' assertion that the sex with the maid was consensual and that they have proof. Thompson calls the claims "preposterous."
The article referred to an appearance by Thompson on iTele TV, in which he said, "If there are any other women in France or in Africa who may have been abused by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, please call me, contact me. We want to help you, we want to talk to you." Thompson made a similar appeal last night on France 2 television.
A lawyer for French writer Tristane Banon said that after Strauss-Kahn's arrest on May 14, his client was considering filing a complaint over an alleged sexual assault in 2002. Banon's lawyer has said she does not want to testify in the U.S. in a case other than her own.
Can you say, "Throwing the maid under the bus"? Banon's testimony would help demonstrate a pattern of behavior by DSK that would support the maid's claims. We suppose it's every woman for herself in this case, unless others come forward.
It will be interesting to see if anyone will answer the call, knowing the scrutiny she will face. Right now it's looking as if it's going to come down to a mediated version of "he say" vs. "she say," with an unimaginable power dynamic at play.
Many members of the media have already tried to smear the maid's name. Thompson is using the same media to build his case. This is like a high-profile game of chess. Now that Thompson has had a turn, what will be DSK's next move?
Read more at the Daily Mail.
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