He Said, She Said: Sometimes, the Man is Right

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “Strauss-Kahn Prosecution Said to be Near Collapse,” details a stunning reversal in the case against a potential candidate for the Presidency of France after he was accused of rape by a maid in a five-star hotel in New York.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who was led away in handcuffs and forced to post bail of $1 million, a bond of $5 million and supply his own security detail to enforce a house arrest, may be innocent after all. According to prosecutors, there are now major holes in the story of his accuser, as well as links from her to drug dealing and other unsavory activities. In fact, the maid even discussed accusing Mr. Kahn of sexual assault a few days in advance of her actual complaint and the day when the lewd behavior supposedly occurred. Mr. Kahn has called the sexual encounter consensual from the beginning.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kahn has lost his position as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and been widely assumed to be out of the running for the Presidency of France. Whether he is able to rehabilitate his situation remains to be seen.

Many in France claimed that the police here rushed to judgement, and maybe they were right. It just goes to show that sometimes in he said/she said cases, the man is right.