Cain faces new sex assault accusation
Source: Agencies |
November 4, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE sexual harassment scandal surrounding Herman Cain, a leading US Republican presidential candidate, deepened as another woman accused him of inappropriate behavior when he headed a restaurant industry lobbying group in the 1990s.
The woman's account came as Cain tried unsuccessfully to divert attention from the controversy, responding testily to reporters who had pressed him about the original accusations.
The scandal has jolted the contest for the Republican nomination, in which Cain, a former pizza chain executive and political novice, has upset the establishment by climbing to the top of opinion polls.
Cain appeals to some conservatives because he is a political outsider at a time of anti-Washington sentiment. But the allegations against him could threaten his standing near the front of the Republican field, which is just two months away from thinning out after early January contests in the traditional lead-off states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
The woman who came forward on Wednesday said he made sexually suggestive remarks or gestures about the same time that two co-workers at the National Restaurant Association settled separate harassment complaints against him.
The woman said she feared losing her job and damaging her reputation. She worked at a restaurant with Cain during the period in question, but she has no party affiliation.
Cain's campaign has denied he did anything wrong, accusing opponents of a "smear campaign" as he is riding high in opinion polls and accused rival Rick Perry's operation of being behind the original stories.
Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus said yesterday, of the Cain-Perry spat, he does not know "what is true and what is not."
But he told a TV interviewer he thought the Cain controversy was a fleeting thing. He also said he did not believe it would hurt the Republican Party's chances of defeating Obama.
Candidates are scrambling to win endorsements from lawmakers who are influential in their home districts. Mitt Romney leads with 33 current members of Congress.
Perry, the Texas governor who declared his candidacy only two months ago, has chalked up at least 14.
Cain has only a fledgling campaign presence after his meteoric rise in the polls in recent weeks, but was in Washington on Wednesday working to build a following.
In Washington, Cain dodged reporters' questions on Wednesday as he tried to divert attention from the scandal.
He became irritated with reporters and denied any wrongdoing after reports surfaced that he faced sexual harassment accusations from two women when he was the head of the National Restaurant Association.
Confronted by reporters after he left a speech to healthcare professionals in Virginia, Cain told them "don't even bother" asking about the scandal.
The woman's account came as Cain tried unsuccessfully to divert attention from the controversy, responding testily to reporters who had pressed him about the original accusations.
The scandal has jolted the contest for the Republican nomination, in which Cain, a former pizza chain executive and political novice, has upset the establishment by climbing to the top of opinion polls.
Cain appeals to some conservatives because he is a political outsider at a time of anti-Washington sentiment. But the allegations against him could threaten his standing near the front of the Republican field, which is just two months away from thinning out after early January contests in the traditional lead-off states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
The woman who came forward on Wednesday said he made sexually suggestive remarks or gestures about the same time that two co-workers at the National Restaurant Association settled separate harassment complaints against him.
The woman said she feared losing her job and damaging her reputation. She worked at a restaurant with Cain during the period in question, but she has no party affiliation.
Cain's campaign has denied he did anything wrong, accusing opponents of a "smear campaign" as he is riding high in opinion polls and accused rival Rick Perry's operation of being behind the original stories.
Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus said yesterday, of the Cain-Perry spat, he does not know "what is true and what is not."
But he told a TV interviewer he thought the Cain controversy was a fleeting thing. He also said he did not believe it would hurt the Republican Party's chances of defeating Obama.
Candidates are scrambling to win endorsements from lawmakers who are influential in their home districts. Mitt Romney leads with 33 current members of Congress.
Perry, the Texas governor who declared his candidacy only two months ago, has chalked up at least 14.
Cain has only a fledgling campaign presence after his meteoric rise in the polls in recent weeks, but was in Washington on Wednesday working to build a following.
In Washington, Cain dodged reporters' questions on Wednesday as he tried to divert attention from the scandal.
He became irritated with reporters and denied any wrongdoing after reports surfaced that he faced sexual harassment accusations from two women when he was the head of the National Restaurant Association.
Confronted by reporters after he left a speech to healthcare professionals in Virginia, Cain told them "don't even bother" asking about the scandal.
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