Posted on 11/02/2011 11:00:59 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
So far, neither of the two alleged complainants from Herman Cain’s tenure at the National Restaurant Association have come forward publicly, although it appears at least one would like NRA to release her from her confidentiality agreement to do so. However, a pollster who worked for NRA at the time told KTOK in Oklahoma that he witnessed both incidents — and that if the women talk, Cain’s candidacy would be over:
Interviewed today on KTOK’s Mullins in the Morning, [Chris] Wilson, of Wilson-Perkins-Allen Opinion Research headquartered in Washington, D.C. explained he was a witness to the incident. “I was the pollster at the National Restaurant Association when Herman Cain was head of it and I was around a couple of times when this happened and anyone who was involved with the NRA at the time, knew that this was gonna come up.”
Wilson described the woman as a low level staffer who was maybe two years out of college. “This occurred at a restaurant in Crystal City (Virginia) and everybody was aware of it,” he continued. “It was only a matter of time because so many people were aware of what took place, so many people were aware of her situation, the fact she left—everybody knew with the campaign that this would eventually come up.”
Wilson claims that he also can’t discuss the specifics, for legal reasons. I’m not quite clear as to what that might be. He may have signed a broad non-disclosure agreement with NRA to get the polling work, but if that’s the case, he just violated it with this statement today. Unless he also participated in the settlement/severance agreements with the women, he’s as free to discuss the details as the fact that he witnessed them. And it’s difficult to see how Wilson would have been involved in a settlement between NRA and the two employees.
However, Wilson isn’t only linked to NRA and Cain from years gone by. His firm has conducted polling in this presidential race for the Make Us Great Again PAC. And guess which candidate is favored by MUGA-PAC? Why, none other than … Rick Perry. The PAC has no formal connection to Perry’s campaign, but it’s certainly boosting Perry as the Republican nominee in the primary.
Could Wilson be more than just a witness in this story? Could he be a source? It could just be a coincidence that a witness to these alleged incidents did work for an organization pushing Perry, and that the story mysteriously got to Politico as Cain took support away from Perry in mid-October. If he is the source, then conducting an interview on the topic has to be one of the dumber political moves I’ve seen.
Update: Some are saying that this indicates Romney as the source of the leak, but I’m not terribly convinced that a one-time donation means much. Romney has less to fear with Cain as his main opponent than others in the race, and besides, no one knows whether Anderson ever knew about the incidents at all. Other board members say they didn’t. YMMV, however.
His biggest “mistake” is being unpolished and honest.
That is forgivable.
Kneecapping your opponent? Not so forgivable.
You’re wasting your time - some people in here can’t be reasoned with. If you make a comment on their man that is in the least bit negative (even when it isn’t) - they go off.
Wouldn't this have come out a LONG time ago if true, or had any standing??
In reference to Clinton, he would have been done in had it not been for Ross Perot. Clinton only got 43% of the vote.
Kennedy couldn’t get elected anywhere except in Massachusetts. Chappaquidick had a lot to do with his presidential candidacy not getting off the ground.
Thomas narrowly got confirmed with a 52 to 48 vote margin.
This has Rove stink all over it. Perry, Romney or both have a hand in this.
Truely disgusting behavior, but not surprising from either camp.
I was thinking that the Freeper sleeper cells are blowing their trumpets a bit early.
Rats scurrying out of their flooding nests.
I have never seen the GOP so fractured. Reagan would be disgusted.
Crappy innuendo campaign. “I can’t tell you what horrible things your candidate did, but if I could, his candidacy would be over”.
I pray to G-d that the facts come out on this real soon and that it turns out to be a ginned up story that was really about nonsense charges settled with nuisance money. If Herman can survive this vicious attempt on his campaign that way, I think he’ll be stronger than every before and the operatives behind this smear will rue the day they set out to do him dirty.
Go Herman! (And please, dear G-d, don’t let the charges amount to anything).
This is a fight for conservatism. Conservatives lose, the republic is lost.
Any Republican who would be a party to such a filthy lie should be exposed, and his/her candidate should share the blame! The Perry Wolverines and/or the Romney Snakes are responsible, as part of the Establishment! They are all baring their fangs, and they are not smiling!
Herman Cain is a an honest, non-political Christian man; a capable, unflappable statesman of the old school (A rarity today)! His accusers all show themselves up for what they truly are in slandering him! Anyone connected with perpetuating this non-event against Mr. Cain is committing anti-American behavior!
If we want our country back we will vote for Herman Cain.
I had a similar experience and, like you, I remember every detail of the conversation with my lawyer and our response to the threat. Cain's ever-changing memory of the allegations and their resolution is troublesome, even if the allegations themselves were baseless. As we learned many years ago with the Watergate affair, the cover-up is often more damaging than the underlying event.
I agree. The sheer number of old-timers acting like ‘Rats tells me that they were thrilled with the McCain selection last time, but now they’re desperate because their new chosen RINO sons are being whupped by a conservative.
What I find most entertaining with this story is how Wilson throws his little “I saw what Herman did” teaser out there, and when pressed for details, hides behind the “legal restrictions” argument.
If it’s true like these d-bags say it is, then send the woman forward to put her sh*t on the table. Otherwise, pack it up along with the story, because there’s nothing out there.
You want victims and witnesses?
Talk to Al Sharpie and Jessie Jackass; they can provide all the witnesses you need.
The easiest way to derail a political enemy is an endless string of accusations, they'll have time to do nothing else but try to refute them. How do you prove a negative? There are an endless number of similar jackasses, even on Free Republic, who will believe (or pretend to believe) any number of accusations.
If anyone had a legitimate accusation, they need to come out with details and facts as soon as a candidate announces.
Waiting until a candidate appears to become a political threat to another is sleaze bottom-feeding politics of the worst kind.
My universe is not so simple. If they both happen to be Jesse Jackass' baby mommas, I for one would laugh all the way to the next thread.
The woman’s lawyer doesn’t have any record of it. He couldn’t remember anything about it, and is totally relying on whatever this woman has. The board members couldn’t remember anything about it. It was said the termination settlement may have been done over the phone or fax, because there aren’t written records, except, apparently, what the woman has showed her attorney. It sounds very possible that Cain wouldn’t know what had finally come of the issue, since the NRA dealt with it. After the story of the allegations broke Cain may well have talked to the attorneys and found out what the settlement was, as well as what legal limitations there were as to what he could say about the issue. What he could say might also be a moving target, depending on what was disclosed, by whom, and when.
Those realities could explain why Cain has responded as he did.
How would you respond to specific questions about something you were legally bound to not mention?
I think you are misreading my comments. Its in the news that two women and a witness have come forward accusing Cain of harrassment. That’s a fact not a lie - its not even an opinion. I’m hoping for Cain’s sake that someone else was there and comes forward to refute these two women and this so-called witness.
You shouldn’t go around acusing people of lying when you don’t know what your talking about. Learn how to read.
In this case, talk might not be cheap. It depends whether money has been offered to these woman, by whom, and how much.
We know the lawyer for one woman has ties to John Podesta, an old time Clintonista. This "witness" has ties to the RINOpublican establishment, possibly including Karl Rove. And Larry Flynt was said to have offered $1 million for any sexual dirt on Rick Perry. Who knows what other offers he might have made.
This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
By the way it's spelled ridiculous. That "e" is nowhere near that "i".
Doofus.
Do you really believe Cain supports will throw their support to Romney?
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