IMF chief a 'honey trap' victim? Conspiracy theories swirl

[steve2470]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43060148/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

The weekend arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn sent shockwaves through the financial world and upended French presidential politics, but it also quickly gave rise to theories about whether the International Monetary Fund chief had been set up by rivals.

Prior to his imprisonment at Riker's Island on charges of attempted rape, the globetrotting Strauss-Kahn wielded considerable power. As head of the monetary fund — which provides emergency loans to countries in severe distress and monitors global financial stability — Strauss-Kahn was a frequent guest of lawmakers and leaders of the banking industry.

And as a prominent member of France's Socialist party, he was widely considered to be one of the strongest potential challengers next year to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The financial titan — who carries a reputation for womanizing — became an immediate talking point: For some, the story represented a sad fall from grace; others spoke of humiliation for France; but, for another group, it smacked of a set-up.

[seabeyond]

1. we are really gonna use this term. we are really going ot continue after a sexual assault

to use this term with a woman that already feels violated. we are going to throw sexist shit on top of the misogynist behavior.

[Goblinmonger]

2. It's a great world, isn't it. n/t

[seabeyond]

3. truly out of this world. that is for sure. nt

[MH1]

5. It's in the MSNBC headline, AND it's a technical term

I see how it could be offensive in the circumstances, but it is a rather common expression that has a specific meaning, which EXACTLY fits the claim being made.

I don't think the term is intended to be sexist, and I don't think it sounds 'sexist' to most people who are used to hearing it used.

As for DSK, I'm waiting for the facts to come out.

[seabeyond]

7. honey pot. that is the term used. they did a cute little twist

i kept saying honey trap. husband kept saying, no, it is honey pot. it is a technical term they use. honey pot.

but

they wanted trap.

so they made it cutsey with honey trap

sounds sexist to me. i dont know the term though

[sharp_stick]

12. That depends how you use the term

In spying the honey trap is the plan and the honey pot is the woman and setup (room, cameras etc.) used to entrap the "victim".

I don't know how MSNBC planned to use the term but all the yapping about the case is pretty much par for the course when the media senses a chance to exploit a story before the facts come out in court.

[seabeyond]

16. sounds to me like it is used in referring to women. thanks. nt

[sabrina 1]

30. It can be used for women too. And the more women

who are in positions of prominence, the more it will be used on women. I don't see it as sexist, it is an old trick used against political opponents to trap people into behavior they might not have engaged in without the temptation presented to them. Men and women both are susceptible.

[MH1]

14. i've heard it both ways

i'm not a networking person but I've heard the term in reference to a technical arrangement that 'traps' would-be hackers from reaching your real network, by setting up something that attracts them and allows you to identify and thwart them.

[Goblinmonger]

11. And to what do you thing the term "honeypot" refers in this instance?

It is a term that refers to a woman using her naughty bits to trap a man for some purpose. It's sexist. Just because people get used to it means nothing. Being "gypped" doesn't sound racist to a lot of people either.

[seabeyond]

13. what does the term honey pot mean. i cannot argue what i dont know

and i have not heard this

thanks

[MH1]

17. it is a generic reference to setting out something someone wants,

while you are monitoring them to thwart them.

See my response above. I am aware of its use in computer networks, and reminded also from another post, that it's used in spy novels.

Since in this case the 'something wanted' was sex, of course it's 'sexist'.

What term would you use instead? Simply a 'set up'?

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. So your conspiracy theory is already complete?

You are saying that the maid was a plant, designed to seduce him. And remember, you say this matches exactly. So you already know exactly what happened. Do tell us. How did the maid bring up the subject of a bit of quick sex to a man who'd never seen her before, who was meeting his daughter in half an hour? What was his response? How did it end?

Bonus points if you can avoid making it sound like a bad letter to a porn mag: "Dear NY court, well, I never thought it would happen to me, but there I was, packing my bags, when this irresistible cleaning maid came into my hotel room and immediately started taking her clothes off! Well, I'm a man of the world, and ..."

[MH1]

31. ** I ** am NOT saying that

Sheesh, I'm explaining the TITLE of the article.

It isn't that freakin' difficult of a concept.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. You said it matches *exactly*

So you are saying you know what the conspiracy is. Given that the article does not describe a honey trap (it doesn't describe anything that can be seen as Strauss-Kahn finding something 'sweet' that had been left for him), then you must have your theory of what Strauss-Kahn was attracted to, and who laid it there for him, already sorted out.

So why not tell us? Back up your claim of 'honey trap' being exactly the right phrase.

[Mass]

27. It seems to be the translation of a French interview of DSK by the Guardian.

I would need to find the interview in French to know what he actually said, but it is clear that he was referring to the possibility of being framed with a rape accusation for money. Given who the victim is, it is very unlikely that this is what is happening here, but it is worth nothing that this interview was given several weeks ago and has nothing to do with the current situation (not that some people will bother reading the article)

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. I can't find the original, but here's Liberation referring to it after the arrest:

Sans dire formellement qu’il est candidat à la primaire du PS, le patron du FMI laisse entendre que sa feuille de route est prête. Selon lui, Martine Aubry a renoncé à être candidate et, en vertu du fameux pacte qui les lie pour ne pas s’affronter, le voilà en situation. Très déterminé, il évoque la longue - trop longue à son goût - campagne à venir et les principales difficultés à surmonter pour lui. Il en voit trois, dans cet ordre : «Le fric, les femmes et ma judéité.» Mais, au moment de développer, il commence par les femmes. «Oui, j’aime les femmes… Et alors ? <…> Depuis des années on parle de photos de partouzes géantes, mais je n’ai jamais rien vu sortir… Alors qu’ils les montrent !» DSK évoque alors une scène où il se retrouve dans une pissotière avec Nicolas Sarkozy, lors d’un sommet international, et lui demande d’arrêter de le salir sur sa vie privée. Tout à sa volonté de se poser en victime, Strauss-Kahn se met à imaginer «une femme (qu’il aurait) violée dans un parking et à qui on promettrait 500 000 ou un million d’euros pour inventer une telle histoire…» Sur le «fric», il dit que son épouse, Anne Sinclair, l’a «mis à l’abri du besoin pour toujours» avec sa fortune personnelle. Enfin, sur sa «judéité», il s’attend à ce que l’un de ses propos, déjà en boucle sur le Web, soit utilisé contre lui. A Tribune juive, il avait déclaré voilà des années «se lever chaque matin en se demandant comment être utile à Israël». Une «connerie, assure-t-il, mais je ne l’avais pas démentie sur le coup».

http://www.liberation.fr/politiques/01092337606-oui-j-aime-les-femmes-et-alors

Edited to get the 'qu'il aurait' to show up (it didn't at first, because it was in square brackets). It may be important to get his meaning.

[Mass]

29. Thanks for the translation. This said,

I find weird he would imagine such a scenario.

[Mass]

4. Conspiracy swirl largely because the media account does not make any sense

This rich and powerful man, who was preparing a run for the presidency, decides to jump on a random woman that happened to enter the room by chance just as he was getting out of the shower? Add to this the cell-phone that was actually not left in the room, and it makes people think something is not right.

It is more than likely than this impression is created by the lousy job the media did in order to report the story first, without checking facts, as I am expecting that the NYPD and the DA had something solid before putting DSK in jail.

There are a lot of situations where I could think he did something illegal or improper, but this one does not make any sense.

[meow mix]

8. dont forget all the hard evidence. oops.

guess he didnt think about that part

[seabeyond]

10. you said hard. did it get trapped in the honey, too.... nt

[Mass]

18. Pun excepted, which evidence???

As I said, I imagine he did it, but I have not seen a shred of evidence in the media reports.

[meow mix]

22. media reports? dont worry the police photos, forensic tests, surveilance cameras

told the story quite well. luckily the police in this matter didnt knee-jerkingly hate on the victim like many at DU

[Mass]

25. Did I say he was innocent. No. I was talking about the MEDIA...

But of course, you prefer not listening, for some obscure reason. If you cannot believe their report for somebody rich and powerful, can you believe it for somebody poor.

Now, can you point me to these forensic reports, because I have not seen them, nor any indication fo the surveillance camera noting anything except him leaving. This was actually my point. The media have done such a bad job that they created doubt. But yell if this helps you.

[MH1]

9. 'cell phone actually not left in the room' - first I heard that.

Hmmm.

I agree that my first response was "this story makes NO sense". That said if the pieces fall into place roughly as it was originally reported, I'll agree with the majority here that the man behaved reprehensibly (but I insist anyone who behaves that way under those circumstances MUST have an underlying psychological disorder - which doesn't make the behavior any less reprehensible, but means the mental illness needs to be treated).

[Mass]

19. It was reported by several media included ABC and NBC...

Obviously. if it is true, he should be condemned to jail.

[MH1]

21. It was reported that he left it in the room in his apparent haste. BUT

the poster I replied to is apparently referring to newer reports saying it was NOT left in the room - i.e. media confusion about facts adding to this story making NO sense.

I'm waiting for the facts, but my first reaction is that this is so bizarre that if true, the guy has some serious psychological condition. Real people don't just randomly jump women in the circumstances as described, unless there is something very off-kilter in their wiring at that moment.

(That's not to say that he isn't a cad or that he isn't presumably capable of rape, or that I think someone is necessarily lying here. It just doesn't add up as reported. That's all.)

[Goblinmonger]

15. Yes, no man who is used to having a great deal of power

would ever do something like this. He can have any woman he wants. Yadda yadda yadda. We all know that regular guys aren't rapists.

[Mass]

20. No, I can imagine him being a rapist, but not in these circumstances.

That requires a lot of coincidences for this to happen.

[geek tragedy]

32. So, why do you think the victim is lying? n/t

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[Renew Deal]

23. It's a setup! There's no way this guy could do something like this.

:eyes:

[Cali_Democrat]

24. When the head of the IMF and a major politician is involved....

The conspiracy theories will fly. I wouldn't read too much into it.