STATEMENT OF ROBERT M.

MORGENTHAU July 7, 2011

I met earlier this week with District Attorney Cyrus Vance to discuss the issues raised by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case. The reporting of recent events at the District Attorneys Office leads me to speak out from my perspective of 35 years in office.

For decades we instructed line prosecutors at the Manhattan D.A.s Office to seek justice over everything else, to investigate, to find the truth, and to proceed without fear or favor. The most important attribute I looked for in hiring junior prosecutors was a strong ethical sense. The recent actions from the District Attorneys Office show me that these attributes are alive and well at One Hogan Place.

Following the indictment of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the District Attorneys staff continued to investigate the facts of the case, the defendant, and the complainant. The prosecutors assigned to this matter are among the most senior and experienced in the District Attorneys Office. I should know I hired them. Their investigation, in relatively short order,

uncovered disturbing facts that called into question the credibility and veracity of the complainant. This information was promptly made available to the Court, defense counsel, and counsel to the complaining witness. The investigation continues, and I am confident that any additional information relating to the case will be promptly turned over to the appropriate parties. And, I am equally confident that the District Attorney will make a principled decision whether or not to proceed with the case, based on the facts and the law, and only after he and his staff are satisfied that their investigation is complete.

I am proud of the strong ethical standards that we set during my tenure as District Attorney. Prosecutors from my former office were never supposed to be hired guns; seeking convictions or cherry-picking easy cases. We sought justice in every case, no matter how big or how small. And, in my opinion, the Manhattan District Attorney and his staff upheld this proud tradition through their conduct in the past week.