In France's polarized political scene, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is seen as a politician who appeals to the left and right of the governing spectrum.
Though he has been affiliated with the Socialist Party since 1976, Mr. Strauss-Kahn's financial experience—he helped France enter Europe's single currency and is now head of the IMF—often appeals to conservative voters as well.
He gained international credibility in the late 1990s when, Authentic Soccer Jerseys as finance minister, he helped prepare France's entry into Europe's common currency, the euro.
The expectation that he would run in next year's French presidential elections quickly propelled him to the top of the country's political polls.
Yet Mr. Strauss-Kahn's arrest on Saturday in New York on allegations of attempted rape follows other controversies. Months after Mr. Strauss Kahn took over as IMF managing director in 2007, he acknowledged having had an affair with a subordinate, Hungary-raised Piroska Nagy, who was at the time a senior official in the IMF's Africa department.
The IMF's board ordered an investigation into whether Mr. Strauss-Kahn abused his position by pressuring Ms. Nagy into a sexual relation when the two were at an international conference in Davos, Switzerland. While the board cleared Mr. Strauss Kahn of the abuse-of-power charge, it said he had committed a "serious error of judgment."
The IMF chief said the incident "constituted an error of judgment on my part, chelsea jersey for which I take full responsibility." But he added, "I firmly believe that I have not abused my position."
Ms. Nagy hasn't commented publicly on the case. But in a letter written at the time of the investigation, she described a man "ill-equipped" to lead an institution that employed women.
"Despite my long professional life, I was unprepared for the advances of the Managing Director of the IMF. I did not know how to handle this; as I told you I felt "I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't," Ms. Nagy wrote the lead investigator in the case in a letter reviewed recently by The Wall Street Journal. She ended her letter to Robert Smith, an attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius: "I fear that he is a man with a problem that may make him ill-equipped to lead an institution where women work under his command."
William Taylor, an attorney for Strauss-Kahn, barcelona jersey said of the case, "The board conducted a long and thorough investigation and determined the event was completely consensual. It considered her interview as well as numerous emails she sent to him."
Mr. Strauss-Kahn also has faced turbulent political times. In 1999, he resigned as France's finance minister after being put under investigation in a corruption case. He was eventually cleared.
In 2002, he was expected to become prime minister, brazil soccer jersey but then the Socialist Party candidate lost the presidential election. In France's 2007 presidential elections, Mr. Strauss-Kahn lost the party's presidential primaries to a back-bencher, who went on to lose to Nicolas Sarkozy.
When the IMF job opened up unexpectedly that year, Mr. Sarkozy strongly endorsed Mr. Strauss-Kahn for the post, in what was widely seen as a move to get a rival out of the way.
Since then, Mr. Strauss-Kahn has been praised for his work at the IMF, which has included increasing the voting shares held by developing nations and playing a key role in the tackling the European debt crisis.
The case involving Ms. Nagy, however, resonated in France. In 2009, the IMF chief, who has been married three times, was a guest on a news program on French radio. Before he spoke, French humorist Stéphane Guillon said that to prevent any case of sexual harassment in the studio, where the program host was a woman, the broadcasting regulator had ordered a TV camera be installed under the table.
On the show, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said: "Humor is not funny when it's essentially mean."
Recently, Mr. Strauss-Kahn faced public-relations bungles. Last week, French media published a photo showing the IMF chief and his wife entering a Porsche Panamera, property of a French spokesman, during a layover in Paris. The photos rekindled a debate over whether Mr. Strauss-Kahn, known for a taste for fine food and luxurious vacations, was a true Socialist.
The IMF chief often has been described in the French press as a "champagne socialist" or "caviar gauche." Anne Sinclair, Mr. Strauss-Kahn's wife, a French television journalist, comes from a renowned art-dealing family.
Last week, argentina soccer jersey French magazine L'Express devoted a cover story to a review of Mr. Strauss-Kahn's and his wife's multiple real-estate assets, including some in France and Morocco. Ms. Sinclair couldn't be reached for comment, though she issued a statement on Sunday saying she was sure her husband would be "proven innocent."
In a separate article, Le Parisien newspaper wrote that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had a suit cut at a Washington tailor where the prices range between $7,000 to $35,000. Aides to Mr. Strauss-Kahn said the information was wrong.
Allies to Mr. Strauss-Kahn defend the IMF chief, saying he is equally at easy with decision makers and ordinary French people.
"We need a statesman who can talk to everybody," said French Socialist lawmaker Christophe Cambadélis.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
1949: Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine
1971: Graduated from France's HEC business school
1977: Earned a Ph.D. in economics with a concentration in household economics. Started a career as an economics professor
1986: Elected as a Socialist candidate to National Assembly
1991-1993: Trade minister in Socialist administration of President Fran?ois Mitterrand.
1993: Set up corporate law firm
1997-1999: Finance minister in the Socialist government of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
November 2006:Lost to Ségolène Royal in the Socialist Party primaries
November 2007: Appointed managing director of IMF
October 2008: IMF investigates harassment and abuse of power allegations. Mr. Strauss-Kahn was later cleared.
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