Big Head DC has learned that lawyers for Deborah Jeane Palfrey considered Leola McConnell, the dominatrix and liberal activist who claims to have had affairs with President Bush and conservative talker William Bennett in the 1980s, as an expert witness to testify on Palfrey’s behalf in her case versus the government.

“I represent Jeane Palfrey who is now known as the DC Madam,” Montgomery Blair Sibley, Palfrey’s civil lawyer, wrote to McConnell earlier this year in an e-mail obtained by BHDC. “We are looking for expert/consulting witnesses on the sexual preferences of white males other than vanilla intercourse and fellatio. To that end, I would appreciate speaking with you regarding this.”

Insiders tell us that McConnell was more than willing to testify, especially because she is trying to garner attention for her soon-to-be-published autobiography, titled “Lustful Utterances: Politics & BDSM,” which will detail her life as a dominatrix and her sexual encounters with Washington power players. However, one defense team lawyer tells us now that he doesn’t expect to call McConnell to testify. He would not detail the rationale for contacting her in the first place.

Still, McConnell may be plotting some media exposure to coincide with Palfrey’s scheduled press appearance at Nathans Restaurant tomorrow morning. Sources close to McConnell tell us she’s in New York attending a bodybuilding competition, and may now be en route to Washington.

“If she shows, it’ll be one hell of a photo-op,” says our source.