Feed: CNN.com
Posted on: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 6:45 PM
Author: CNN.com
Subject: Herman Cain to address new allegation
The only woman so far to come forward and publicly accuse Herman Cain of sexual harassment did so in part with her 13-year-old son's encouragement, she said Tuesday on CNN. |
Cain accuser says her son encouraged her "to tell on him"
- Cain to address Sharon Bialek's sexual harassment claims in news conference
- Bialek's fiance says she didn't go public for money
- Poll: A plurality of Americans think the claims are true
- Cain's campaign denies any sexual harassment on his part
Washington (CNN) -- The only woman so far to come forward and publicly accuse Herman Cain of sexual harassment did so in part with her 13-year-old son's encouragement, she said Tuesday on CNN.
"He said, 'Mom, I think you need to do the right thing. I think you need to tell on him," Sharon Bialek said on CNN's "American Morning." "That confirmed it for me. If my son is saying it, I want to be the role model for him and other kids growing up."
Bialek alleges Cain groped her following a dinner in 1997. Cain is expected to address her claims in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, according to his campaign.
In what could be a preview, Cain vigorously dismissed the claims in an appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Monday night.
"The feelings that you have when you know that all of this is totally fabricated -- you go from anger, then you get disgusted," he told Kimmel. "There's not an ounce of truth in all of these accusations."
In a written statement, campaign spokesman J.D. Gordon said there was "no record, nor even a complaint filed" to support Bialek's accusation.
In an appearance on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" Monday, Bialek said she was prepared for the scrutiny that going public with the allegation was likely to bring.
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Bialek's bombshell came as Cain was in his second week of battling sexual harassment allegations dating back to his tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s.
The Chicago woman told reporters Monday that Cain unexpectedly put his hand on her leg beneath her skirt, "toward my genitals," and pushed her head toward his crotch after a dinner at which she sought his help finding a job.
She said she had just been laid off from the Restaurant Association's educational foundation and was hoping Cain could help her find new work.
Bialek said Cain told her, "You want a job, right?" -- but he stopped when she protested, she said.
"I respected him. I looked up to him. And it just was shocking to me that he would use that power in such a way," Bialek told CNN.
Gloria Allred: A girl's best friend
Bialek said she didn't file a complaint at the time because she was embarrassed and unsure that she had any legal grounds because she no longer worked for the association.
Bialek's appearance follows the disclosure last week that the group provided payments to two women who left after alleging sexual harassment by Cain during the same period.
But she said Tuesday that she's not after money, despite a bankruptcy stemming from costs related to her late mother's medical bills.
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Bialek's fiance, Mark Harwood, backed her up in an interview with CNN affiliate WGN-TV.
"This isn't for fun. You don't go on a political stage and make these kinds of press conferences unless you really stand by your convictions," he said. "There was no money motive to this. She's got the same political interests as Herman Cain in terms of party, so it wasn't like there was opposing political gain here at all."
Cain has denied all accusations of sexual harassment, and his campaign put out a fresh denial after Bialek's accusations Monday.
"All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false," a campaign statement said. "Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone."
Cain told Kimmel he still has the support of his wife.
"My own wife said that I wouldn't do anything as silly as what that lady was talking about, because she does know me," Cain said. "I've been married for 43 years to the same woman and I'm proud of it."
Since becoming public on October 30 in a report by Politico, the sexual harassment accusations have overwhelmed the bid by the former pizza company executive to win the Republican presidential nomination.
Cain, a favorite of tea party conservatives, has risen to the top of the polls following strong performances in several debates and the release of his "9-9-9" tax plan that sets flat 9% rates for corporate and income taxes and also creates a 9% national sales tax.
Cain has previously complained that the sexual harassment allegations amount to a baseless media onslaught against his campaign. Gordon said the campaign raked in $2 million during the past week, compared to $2.8 million raised between June and October.
The latest poll assessing the impact of allegations, however, shows that a plurality of Americans think the claims had validity.
The Pew Research Center poll found that 39% of those who have heard a lot about the allegations said they thought the claims were true; 24% said the claims were false and 36% said they didn't know.
But the picture was somewhat different when Republican primary voters were polled.
An NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found 54% of Republican primary voters said the accusations will not affect how they vote.
Both polls were conducted before Bialek came forward Monday.
Several unaffiliated Republican operatives said Cain must say more about the allegations, because his current message is not putting the controversy to rest.
"He needs to be upfront, forthright and get this story behind him," Bob Vander Plaats, a leading Iowa Republican activist, told CNN. The ongoing allegations, he adds, are a "test of Cain's leadership" and "a tipping point for his campaign."
Cain will be in Iowa on November 19 for an event sponsored by Vander Plaats called the Family Leader Forum. An expected 2,500 potential caucus-goers will be in attendance, and Cain will likely have to address the issue in some form.
"You cannot let this dominate the campaign," Vander Plaats said, a sentiment echoed by other analysts. He said Cain can "approach this with humility and sincerity" and people will listen. "Iowans are fair."
Tuesday's planned news conference follows Cain's adamant refusal to answer any further questions about the matter over the weekend.
Saturday, he scolded reporters who asked about the issue following a debate with fellow conservative Newt Gingrich in Texas.
"What I'm saying is this -- we are getting back on message, end of story," he said. He told another reporter, "Don't even go there."
Legitimate issue or political drama?
On Friday, a lawyer for one of the accusers reported by Politico released a statement saying she stood by her claims against Cain, but would not go public.
In response to the new allegation Monday, her attorney, Joel Bennett, said he believes it corroborates his client's story and called it "similar conduct by the same person." He refused to provide further details.
Bennett said Monday that his client resolved her complaints "privately and confidentially," and spoke out through him only after Cain responded to the Politico report last week.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Bialek, said her client is a registered Republican and described Cain's behavior at the time to her then-boyfriend and a longtime mentor. Both have given sworn statements supporting her account, Allred said.
Bialek told CNN that she came forward Monday "for the other women who couldn't or wouldn't."
"I really hope that what I did will enable other women to come forward in similar situations," Bialek said. "Unfortunately for Herman, he's still in denial."
CNN's Tom Cohen, Kevin Bohn, Kevin Liptak, Gloria Borger and Shannon Travis contributed to this report.
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