Post by pegasus on Nov 3, 2011 22:18:22 GMT -7
HERMAN CAIN'S PROBLEMS ESCALATE
Cain campaign drops claim that Perry aide leaked harassment story.
Herman Cain's campaign is backing off its claim that a political aide to Rick Perry's presidential campaign tipped off reporters about harassment claims against Cain when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Mark Block, Cain's chief of staff, told Fox News that he accepts Curt Anderson's claim he didn't leak the story to Politico, which first reported the allegations against Cain on Sunday night. "All the evidence we had pointed to Mr. Anderson being the source. We are absolutely thrilled that he came on your show said it wasn't him," Block said. "Mr. Cain has always had the utmost respect for him." Block said Cain just wants to "move on with the campaign." "Let's get over these things that don't mean anything to the American public," he told Fox News.
Block's comments come as Politico's Jonathan Martin reported more details about the settlement given to one of Cain's accusers. According to Politico, one of the accusers was paid $45,000 to settle harassment claims against Cain—far more than the two or three months salary that the Republican candidate had initially suggested. That brings the total payout offered to Cain's accusers to $70,000 so far, as another accuser was paid $35,000 to settle her complaint against the former NRA head.
3rd Cain accuser emerges, 2 others thrived later.
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain faces accusations from a third woman, who considered filing a complaint against him over sexually suggestive remarks and gestures. The allegations are similar to accusations of unwanted behavior that led to separate settlements in the late 1990s with two other women who went on to pursue successful careers after leaving the organization Cain once headed. The latest allegations come from a woman who said in interviews with the AP that Cain was aggressive and inappropriate with her, even extending a private invitation to his corporate apartment when she worked with him at the National Restaurant Association. The woman said Cain's behavior occurred at the same time two co-workers had settled separate harassment complaints against him while he was leading the association.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Republican Party said Thursday the furor surrounding Cain won't damage the GOP's chances of defeating President Barack Obama next year. "I don't know what's true and what's not," Reince Priebus said, telling NBC's "Today" show the key issue is that the public wants change at the top, and saying that sentiment will not fade.
Cain's 3rd accuser was located and approached by the AP as part of its investigation into harassment complaints against Cain that were disclosed in recent days and have thrown his presidential campaign into turmoil. She spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying she feared losing her current job and the possibility of damage to her reputation. The woman said she did not file a formal complaint against Cain because she began having fewer interactions with him. Later, she learned that a co-worker — one of the two women whose accusations have rocked Cain's campaign — already had done so. She said she would have felt she had to file otherwise.
The AP confirmed that the employee worked at the restaurant association with Cain during his time there, that she has no party affiliation in her voter registration in the past decade and that she is not identified as a donor in federal campaigns or local political campaigns. Records show she was registered as a Democrat at one point previously. Chris Wilson, a pollster who did work for the restaurant association during Cain's tenure, said in an interview that he witnessed the businessman making inappropriate comments and gestures toward a young woman who worked for the group during a dinner at a hotel in Arlington, Va., in the late 1990s. Wilson declined to discuss more specifics without the woman's permission, but said it was not one of the two women who settled complaints against Cain and it was not the third woman interviewed by the AP. Cain's behavior with women was well known, Wilson said. "I'm surprised that it hasn't come up before," said Wilson, whose firm, Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, does polling for a political action committee backing a Cain rival, Rick Perry. Wilson said he has not been the source of information on the accusations against Cain.
Cain accuser offers harassment statement.
A woman who accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment on Thursday offered a statement telling her side of the story, in a move that could further undermine his 2012 campaign. Cain has been accused by at least three women of sexual harassment when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the mid-1990s. The issue is dominating the race to decide a Republican challenger to face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.
One of the women said earlier this week that she wanted to talk publicly about accusations that Cain had sexually harassed her, but she has since changed her mind and wants to make a written statement through her lawyer. The woman's lawyer, Joel Bennett, gave the statement to the restaurant group, said Sue Hensley, a spokeswoman for the restaurant association. The trade group's lawyers were reviewing the statement to decide whether to lift a confidentiality agreement that she signed when she left the association. It is likely to conflict with Cain's version of events.
Details of the women's statement are likely to put further pressure on Cain, 65, a former pizza executive with no political experience who has headed polls of Republican contenders in recent weeks. Cain complained of his treatment by the U.S. news media after spending most of this week in the glare of the Washington press corps, giving conflicting accounts of the case and accusing rival Rick Perry of instigating the controversy to derail his surging campaign.
Political commentators say Perry stands to benefit from a collapse of Cain's campaign in their fight to become the conservative alternative to the more moderate Mitt Romney. Cain has surged ahead of Romney or even with him in national polls and in Iowa, the state that holds the first U.S. nominating contest of 2012 on January 3. An extended controversy over Cain may be of no help to any Republican seeking to become the party's challenger to Obama, whose slide in the polls has stopped and who may be gaining traction with his criticism of Republican lawmakers for blocking his jobs legislation.
Herman Cain's 'lavish' spending at National Restuarnat Association drew scrutiny.
As revelations keep surfacing, it seems clear that plenty of other people may have had an interest in divulging less-than-flattering details about the Republican candidate's tenure at the NRA. As Bloomberg's Lisa Lerer reports, Cain irked some of his NRA colleagues by operating in a "free-wheeling, free-spending culture:" Former employees of the association told Bloomberg News that work-related outings frequently featured heavy drinking as lobbyists entertained board members and lawmakers. Cain was known for lavish spending, they said, racking up cell phone and travel bills that drew accountants' attention and angered some board members. He won over employees by giving generous raises to many, said three people who worked for or with the group and spoke on condition of anonymity. The group also paid for Cain to live in The Jefferson, a pricey luxury hotel near the White House, for an unspecified period of time.
I don't know about others, but as far as I'm concerned, the evidence keeps piling up against Mr. Cain, making it clear that he is not a fit person to become President of the United States.
Cain campaign drops claim that Perry aide leaked harassment story.
Herman Cain's campaign is backing off its claim that a political aide to Rick Perry's presidential campaign tipped off reporters about harassment claims against Cain when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Mark Block, Cain's chief of staff, told Fox News that he accepts Curt Anderson's claim he didn't leak the story to Politico, which first reported the allegations against Cain on Sunday night. "All the evidence we had pointed to Mr. Anderson being the source. We are absolutely thrilled that he came on your show said it wasn't him," Block said. "Mr. Cain has always had the utmost respect for him." Block said Cain just wants to "move on with the campaign." "Let's get over these things that don't mean anything to the American public," he told Fox News.
Block's comments come as Politico's Jonathan Martin reported more details about the settlement given to one of Cain's accusers. According to Politico, one of the accusers was paid $45,000 to settle harassment claims against Cain—far more than the two or three months salary that the Republican candidate had initially suggested. That brings the total payout offered to Cain's accusers to $70,000 so far, as another accuser was paid $35,000 to settle her complaint against the former NRA head.
3rd Cain accuser emerges, 2 others thrived later.
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain faces accusations from a third woman, who considered filing a complaint against him over sexually suggestive remarks and gestures. The allegations are similar to accusations of unwanted behavior that led to separate settlements in the late 1990s with two other women who went on to pursue successful careers after leaving the organization Cain once headed. The latest allegations come from a woman who said in interviews with the AP that Cain was aggressive and inappropriate with her, even extending a private invitation to his corporate apartment when she worked with him at the National Restaurant Association. The woman said Cain's behavior occurred at the same time two co-workers had settled separate harassment complaints against him while he was leading the association.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Republican Party said Thursday the furor surrounding Cain won't damage the GOP's chances of defeating President Barack Obama next year. "I don't know what's true and what's not," Reince Priebus said, telling NBC's "Today" show the key issue is that the public wants change at the top, and saying that sentiment will not fade.
Cain's 3rd accuser was located and approached by the AP as part of its investigation into harassment complaints against Cain that were disclosed in recent days and have thrown his presidential campaign into turmoil. She spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying she feared losing her current job and the possibility of damage to her reputation. The woman said she did not file a formal complaint against Cain because she began having fewer interactions with him. Later, she learned that a co-worker — one of the two women whose accusations have rocked Cain's campaign — already had done so. She said she would have felt she had to file otherwise.
The AP confirmed that the employee worked at the restaurant association with Cain during his time there, that she has no party affiliation in her voter registration in the past decade and that she is not identified as a donor in federal campaigns or local political campaigns. Records show she was registered as a Democrat at one point previously. Chris Wilson, a pollster who did work for the restaurant association during Cain's tenure, said in an interview that he witnessed the businessman making inappropriate comments and gestures toward a young woman who worked for the group during a dinner at a hotel in Arlington, Va., in the late 1990s. Wilson declined to discuss more specifics without the woman's permission, but said it was not one of the two women who settled complaints against Cain and it was not the third woman interviewed by the AP. Cain's behavior with women was well known, Wilson said. "I'm surprised that it hasn't come up before," said Wilson, whose firm, Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, does polling for a political action committee backing a Cain rival, Rick Perry. Wilson said he has not been the source of information on the accusations against Cain.
Cain accuser offers harassment statement.
A woman who accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment on Thursday offered a statement telling her side of the story, in a move that could further undermine his 2012 campaign. Cain has been accused by at least three women of sexual harassment when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the mid-1990s. The issue is dominating the race to decide a Republican challenger to face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.
One of the women said earlier this week that she wanted to talk publicly about accusations that Cain had sexually harassed her, but she has since changed her mind and wants to make a written statement through her lawyer. The woman's lawyer, Joel Bennett, gave the statement to the restaurant group, said Sue Hensley, a spokeswoman for the restaurant association. The trade group's lawyers were reviewing the statement to decide whether to lift a confidentiality agreement that she signed when she left the association. It is likely to conflict with Cain's version of events.
Details of the women's statement are likely to put further pressure on Cain, 65, a former pizza executive with no political experience who has headed polls of Republican contenders in recent weeks. Cain complained of his treatment by the U.S. news media after spending most of this week in the glare of the Washington press corps, giving conflicting accounts of the case and accusing rival Rick Perry of instigating the controversy to derail his surging campaign.
Political commentators say Perry stands to benefit from a collapse of Cain's campaign in their fight to become the conservative alternative to the more moderate Mitt Romney. Cain has surged ahead of Romney or even with him in national polls and in Iowa, the state that holds the first U.S. nominating contest of 2012 on January 3. An extended controversy over Cain may be of no help to any Republican seeking to become the party's challenger to Obama, whose slide in the polls has stopped and who may be gaining traction with his criticism of Republican lawmakers for blocking his jobs legislation.
Herman Cain's 'lavish' spending at National Restuarnat Association drew scrutiny.
As revelations keep surfacing, it seems clear that plenty of other people may have had an interest in divulging less-than-flattering details about the Republican candidate's tenure at the NRA. As Bloomberg's Lisa Lerer reports, Cain irked some of his NRA colleagues by operating in a "free-wheeling, free-spending culture:" Former employees of the association told Bloomberg News that work-related outings frequently featured heavy drinking as lobbyists entertained board members and lawmakers. Cain was known for lavish spending, they said, racking up cell phone and travel bills that drew accountants' attention and angered some board members. He won over employees by giving generous raises to many, said three people who worked for or with the group and spoke on condition of anonymity. The group also paid for Cain to live in The Jefferson, a pricey luxury hotel near the White House, for an unspecified period of time.
I don't know about others, but as far as I'm concerned, the evidence keeps piling up against Mr. Cain, making it clear that he is not a fit person to become President of the United States.
....Rev. Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, casts doubts on the president's and the former Mass. governor's Christianity, as Santorum accuses Obama of having a 'phony theology."