“I have never acted inappropriately with anyone– period!” –Herman Cain
When the first rumors surfaced that two women had been victimized by Cain — then legally silenced via monetary settlements with non-disclosure contracts, Cain had difficulty remembering whether or not the accusations and subsequent settlements ever happened.
Cain then changed his mind and acknowledged that one of his accusers did receive a financial settlement from the National Restaurant Association.
When a third accuser stepped forward (anonymously, through her attorney) to say she had been harassed by Cain, but would speak only on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, Cain’s camp released a statement insisting his “distinguished record over 40 years spent climbing the corporate ladder speaks for itself.” Cain’s defense strategy then shifted to a flat-out refusal to entertain questions regarding any of the women’s allegations.
Now that a fourth woman has stepped forward, Cain is speaking again. Sharon Bialek, a Republican with tea party leanings, announced at a Nov. 7 press conference that she had been groped by Cain. Bialek says he grabbed under her dress and tried to pull her head toward his crotch while they sat in a parked car together in 1997.
According to Bialek, the two had met for dinner to discuss a job lead when Cain informed her that he had upgraded her hotel room to what she described as a “palatial suite.”
On the drive back from the restaurant, Bialek said Cain told her he wanted to show her the Restaurant Association’s offices, and he parked the car. Then, according to Bialek, he slid his hand “under my skirt and reached for my genitals. He also grabbed my head and brought it toward his crotch.”
When she protested and mentioned her boyfriend, Bialek says Cain replied: “You want a job, right?”
She said, “I asked him to stop, and he did.”
Cain told reporters he never saw or heard of Bialek before Monday’s news conference. “The charges and the accusations I absolutely reject. They simply didn’t happen. They simply did not happen,” he insisted. Cain said he would be willing to take a lie detector test, but then seemed to backtrack by adding, “But I’m not going to do that unless I have a good reason to do that.”
When this firestorm began, Cain was sure his GOP competitor, Rick Perry, threatened by Cain’s rising popularity, was fueling the controversy. Perry denied any involvement. Now that Bialek has come forward, Cain has shifted the blame to the media and the Democrats.
“Some people don’t want to see Herman Cain become president of the United States of America,” he said.
