In interviews with authorities the mother of the French woman who is accusing Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault has admitted that she had sex with Strauss-Kahn in 2000, saying he "took me with the vulgarity of a soldier." Anne Mansouret, mother to journalist Tristane Banon who is charging that Strauss-Kahn attempted to rape her in 2002, had a bureaucratic position with Strauss-Kahn at the time of their consensual sex. According to L'Express, Mansouret believes that "in DSK, the sexual need triggers a process of domination." These revelations may help explain why Banon's initial complaints about the incident were silenced 8 years ago, and why Strauss-Kahn was free to continue build upon his presidential aspirations.
Initially Mansouret was silent about her own sexual encounter with Strauss-Kahn because he was the ex-husband of her best friend, Brigitte Guillemette, who also happens to be Banon's godmother. But after her daughter told her of Strauss-Kahn's actions, she told Brigitte, who then told Strauss-Kahn, and he's reported to have said, "I do not know what came over me." Mansouret met DSK at a bistro for a glass of wine and he apologized for his behavior, but "he didn't seem particularly worried about a complaint being filed" against him.
François Hollande, who we mentioned yesterday as a potential Socialist candidate for president now that Strauss-Kahn has missed the deadline, is said to have known about Banon's encounter in 2002, and placed a call to Mansouret, possibly advising her to chasten her daughter's actions for the good of the party and for her own political career. Hollande will answer to French authorities soon in relation to the incident, as they determine whether or not to pursue charges of attempted rape against the former IMF chief, charges that carry up to 15 years in prison.
Strauss-Kahn's team has deemed Banon's charges "imaginary." Mansouret has written that she regrets not counseling her daughter to press charges when the incident occurred.
