Strauss-Kahn Maid Calls for New Prosecutor

The maid who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sex assault wants District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to drop out before he drops the case. The woman's lawyers are urging Vance to step aside and let a special prosecutor take over, Reuters reports. The lawyers accuse a prosecutor in Vance's office of planting "damaging leaks" in the media that have undermined their client's credibility.

Experts say the request has almost no chance of succeeding, even if the woman's lawyers' accusations are true. "Whatever you think about leaks, if they were grounds for recusal, we would have a great number of recusal motions," a former prosecutor says. Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn, meanwhile, say they had a "constructive" meeting with prosecutors yesterday, but they stressed that their client is not willing to plead guilty to even minor charges. (More Dominique Strauss Kahn sexual assault stories.)