Morgenthau Defends Current DA's Handling Of Strauss-Kahn Case

To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.'s predecessor is coming to his aid.

Vance has been criticized for his handling of multiple cases, including the sexual assault case involving former International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, which is now reportedly in jeopardy.

In a statement released today, retired Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said he has discussed the case with Vance.

He also defends his former employee and the office as a whole, saying, "I am proud of the strong ethical standards that we set during my tenure as District Attorney. In my opinion, the Manhattan District Attorney and his staff upheld this proud tradition through their conduct in the past week."

Morgenthau's statement comes as lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser are calling for a special prosecutor.

They say the DA's office has been leaking information and is afraid to try Strauss-Kahn after a series of not guilty verdicts in other high-profile cases.

According to several reports, Strauss-Kahn's defense team says the prominent Frenchman will not agree to a plea deal, and instead wants all charges to be dropped.

Meanwhile, there was a protest in Downtown Manhattan Thursday against the possibility of a dropped case, led by the Coalition to Support Women Victims of Sexual Violence.

Protesters said the evidence supports the hotel maid's accusations and that events in her accuser's life that are unrelated to the attack should cause the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to drop the case.

"This is an atrocity that is going on, when a woman who says she has been raped, her whole past is brought up," said the Reverend Lisa Jenkins, an advocate. "Whether true or untrue, this will deter other women who have been raped, who have been molested, whose bodies have been violated. It will deter them from coming forth to talk about what has happened to them."

Last Friday, a judge lifted Strauss-Kahn's house arrest because of problems with the maid's credibility.