Witness in Dominique Strauss-Kahn Trial to Undergo Judicial Hell

Would Any of Us Be Willing To Do This?

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Monday pleaded not guilty to the various charges of assault with respect to a hotel maid last month in a luxury New York City hotel.  The Dismal Political Economist does not know if Mr. Strauss-Kahn is guilty, and is more than willing to reserve judgment until after the trial.

What we do know is that the best legal and investigative team that money can buy is preparing a massive verbal assault on the accuser, as reported in The New York Times.  The accuser is reported to be a single mother, 32 years old and a native of West Africa.  She is going up against one of the most powerful men in the world, supported by a massive amount of money.

Here are some excerpts from the story.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn has hired a high-priced legal team, including a big-name lawyer who has lectured on the art of cross-examination.

The team has, in turn, hired investigators to check out the woman’s past, and experts say no aspect of her life, like her personal history and any financial dealings, will go un-scrutinized.

Defense lawyers threatened that they had “substantial information” they could use to “gravely undermine the credibility of the complainant in this case.” During the trial, any such information — if it exists — will emerge during the cross-examination of the hotel housekeeper. In sexual assault cases, it is during cross-examinations that defense lawyers insinuate that the accuser is confused, mistaken or even lying, driven by money, vengeance or remorse.

If the accuser does take the stand, then regardless of the outcome a new chapter in

Profiles in Courage will have to be written.