D.C. Madam Case Rough on Witnesses
Most of the powerful men who were the clients of the so-called D.C. Madam have avoided the limelight in her ongoing trial. But over a dozen of the relatively low-paid prostitutes who provided the sex for which they paid are being publicly humiliated as witnesses in the case, and many more who have long left the life behind them now face the prospect of having their names publicly revealed.
Graphic questions are being asked in court, which the 15 unlucky women selected as witnesses must then answer, about their sexual activities, menstruation and more, reports the Washington Post. And, columnist Dana Milbank contends, it’s hard to see how this information—as well as the public naming of all 100 or so of the women who allegedly worked as prostitutes for defendant Deborah Jeane Palfrey—is forwarding the cause of justice.
“Wednesday, prosecutors forced a 63-year-old retired PhD—her name, like those of other witnesses, now a matter of public record—to testify about inducing orgasms in her client; the government’s lawyers had similar questions for a mother of three who worked briefly for the escort service nearly 15 years ago,” he recounts.
Yesterday, a naval officer who was called to testify was having trouble keeping her emotions in check, and the judge reassured her that everything would be OK. But, in fact, she’s already been put on leave from the military.
Although prosecutors have presented a strong case that Palfrey apparently operated a prostitution ring, Milbank wonders why they bothered to pursue a federal money-laundering and racketeering case against a small operation that allegedly earned some $2 million in 13 years. Meanwhile, he points out, the case could ruin the lives of 132 women.
