His supporters within the Socialist Party became allies of candidate Lionel Jospin, who was Prime Minister in 1997 – 2002, and then Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Pierre Moscovici obtained a DEA in economics and in philosophy, and he graduated from the École nationale d ' administration, where he studied under Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who became a friend and mentor in politics.

But as Strauss-Kahn refused to exchange his ministry for the executive leadership of the Ile-de-France, Jean-Paul Huchon became the president of the regional council.

Strauss-Kahn was one of the first French politicians to enter the blogosphere ; his blog became one of the most visited, along with Juppé's, during his stay in Quebec.

On 10 July 2007, Strauss-Kahn became the consensus European nominee to be the head of the IMF, with the personal support of President Nicolas Sarkozy ( member of the right UMP party ).

Strauss-Kahn became the front runner in the race to become Managing Director of the IMF, with the support of the 27-nation European Union, the United States, China and most of Africa.

* Dominique Strauss-Kahn, French politician and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

The PS also formed several figures who acted or have acted at the international level: Jacques Delors, who was the eighth President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1994 and the first person to serve three terms in that office, was from the Socialist Party, as well as Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2007 to 2011, and Pascal Lamy, who has been Director-General of the World Trade Organization since 2005.

On 23 April 2010, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) announced that Greece made a request for a Stand-By Arrangement.

He initially trailed the front-runner, former Finance Minister and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

On 28 September 2007, the International Monetary Fund's 24 executive directors selected former French Minister for Economics, Finance, and Industry, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, over the former Czech Minister Josef Tošovský, to be the new Managing Director in succession to Rato.

Shōichi Nakagawa with Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF ( Rome, February 14, 2009 )

On 2009 January 13, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, travelled to Budapest to ask Gyurcsány about their agreement made in October, regarding the stabilization of Hungarian government spending.

On 15 July 2008, Mr. Strauss-Kahn named Marek Belka as Director of the IMF's European Department, a position Belka took up on 1 November 2008.

He then pushed forward the important Socialist figure of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as European nominee to the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ).

Though he had not officially declared his candidacy, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a prominent member of the Socialist Party and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund was the polls ' clear favorite to defeat the incumbent conservative president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

* Dominique Strauss-Kahn ( 1949 – ), former managing director of the International Monetary Fund ( IMF )

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was pushing for reforms within the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ).

On 30 September 2007, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was formally named as the new head of the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ).

In August 2007, Russia nominated Tošovský to succeed Rodrigo Rato as the head the International Monetary Fund – as an alternative to the French candidate Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Critics alleged that Sarkozy proposed to nominate Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the IMF to deprive the Socialist Party of one of its more popular figures.

In May 2011, Lévy defended IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn when Kahn was accused of sexually assaulting a chambermaid in New York City.

February 14, 2009 Mr Strauss-Kahn said: ' This commitment is the single-largest supplemental financing contribution by an IMF member country ever, and it clearly demonstrates Japan's leadership and continuing commitment to a multilateral approach to global economic and financial challenges.

Some critics alleged that Sarkozy proposed Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the IMF to deprive the Socialist Party of one of its more popular figures.

Strauss-Kahn said: " I am determined to pursue without delay the reforms needed for the IMF to make financial stability serve the international community, while fostering growth and employment ".

In 2008, the IMF Board appointed an independent investigator following allegations that Strauss-Kahn had had an affair with a subordinate, Piroska Nagy, who was married at the time to economist Mario Blejer.

The IMF board issued the findings of the investigation ; while noting that the affair was " regrettable and reflected a serious error of judgment on the part of the managing director ", the board cleared Strauss-Kahn of harassment, favoritism or abuse of power, and indicated that he would remain in his post.

Referring to his diplomatic efforts to secure IMF aid for Europe following the 2010 sovereign debt crisis, economist Simon Johnson described Strauss-Kahn as " Metternich with a BlackBerry ".

Strauss-Kahn resigned from the IMF on 18 May 2011, after being arrested by NY police on 15 May over allegations of sexual assault.

In 2011, Brafman represented former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a sexual assault case involving a member of the housekeeping staff of an upscale New York City hotel.

His character though Italian was based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

* Dominique Strauss-Kahn was held under house arrest on bail as an alternative to detention at Riker's Island before his trial for sexual assault.

Upon the discovery of new evidence, Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest on 1 July 2011.

From left to right: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Bertrand Delanoë and Ségolène Royal sitting in the front row at a meeting held on 6 Feb 2007 by the French Socialist Party at the Carpentier Hall in Paris.

In 2011, he commented in support of his friend of twenty years Dominique Strauss-Kahn when he was arrested on sexual allegations, referring to the allegations as, " absurd.

Strauss-Kahn was first an activist member of the Union of Communist Students, before joining in the 1970s the Centre d ' études, de recherches et d ' éducation socialiste ( Center on Socialist Education Studies and Research, CERES ) led by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, future presidential candidate for the 2002 election.

Strauss-Kahn also repealed the Thomas Act on hedge funds and launched the Conseil d ' orientation des retraites ( Orientation Council on Pensions ).

After Jacques Chirac's success in the 2002 presidential election and the following Union for a Popular Movement ( UMP )' s majority in Parliament, Strauss-Kahn was reelected deputy on 16 June 2002, in the 8th circonscription of the Val-d ' Oise.

Strauss-Kahn was formally indicted on 18 May and granted 1 million bail, plus a 5 million bond, the following day.

A semen sample was found on the maid's shirt, and on May 24 it was reported that DNA tests showed a match to a DNA sample submitted by Strauss-Kahn.

Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest on 1 July.

Brafman discussed his defense of Strauss-Kahn on Charlie Rose in February, 2012.