Strauss-Kahn Tried to Claim Diplomatic Immunity

So much for the consensual sex argument. Ex-IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn didn't make that claim when he was busted for sexual assault of a Manhattan hotel maid, but declared that he had diplomatic immunity. He also complained his handcuffs pinched, according to new details revealed yesterday in court documents. "What is this about?" Strauss-Kahn reportedly asked detectives three times as he was hauled off an Air France flight in handcuffs. He was told detectives needed to question him about "an incident in a hotel room," reports AP.

He later apparently dropped the idea of diplomatic immunity when he asked police if he could call an attorney. "It is your right to have one in this country if you want," the detective replied. "I don't know if you have some kind of diplomatic status." Strauss-Kahn responded: "No, no, no, I'm not trying to use that. I just want to know if I need a lawyer. The detective tells him: "That's up to you." The New York Times adds this other tidbit: At one point, he asked that his handcuffs be secured in front of him, instead of behind his back. Strauss-Kahn is currently under house arrest at a Manhattan luxury townhouse after putting up $1 million bail. Sources have said his attorneys plan to argue that sex with the maid was consensual. (More crime stories.)