DSK Flees New York

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn left New York Friday afternoon—the latest episode in a whirlwind week when criminal sexual-assault charges were dropped against him. Strauss-Kahn was given his passport back Friday, and although he said he is eager to return to his native France, he is expected to stop at his Washington home first. In May, Strauss-Kahn was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting a hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, and he was originally held in New York’s infamous Rikers’ Island jail and under house arrest. He later had travel restrictions eased, but he remained a paparazzi favorite—something that didn’t change before he left New York, as he and his wife were chased by a group of photographers en route to the airport. Strauss-Kahn is expected to visit the IMF while he’s in Washington, although his political future is considered murky.