video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo playerPosted on 11/07/2011 11:50:36 AM PST by SeekAndFind
A week after Politico published vague, second-hand accounts of possible sexual harassment by Herman Cain during his tenure at the National Restaurant Association, one woman has gone on the record with specific allegations from fourteen years ago. Sharon Bialek, described by her representative Gloria Allred as a single mom, says that Cain groped her — but backed off after she told him to stop:
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A fourth woman said Monday that presidential candidate Herman Cain engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior with her more than decade ago, though Cain was not her supervisor at the time.
Sharon Bialek, the first woman to publicly accuse Cain of inappropriate behavior, said Cain was “sexually inappropriate” with her in 1997, saying he put his hand under her skirt and pushed her head toward his crotch after a dinner together. She said he backed away after she asked him to stop.
“I want you to come clean, Mr. Cain,” she said in a New York City press conference at the Friars Club with her attorney, Gloria Allred at her side. Allred is known for her media savvy and for representing women who have had legal issues with the rich and powerful.
Three other women have reportedly accused Cain of inappropriate behavior while he was running the National Restaurant Association, but none has made public charges against him.
Mediate has the video of her statement and a transcript of the specific allegation:
At that time I had on a black pleated skirt, a suit jacket and a blouse. He had on a suit with his shirt open. But instead of going into the offices, he suddenly reached over and he put his hand on my leg under my skirt and reached for my genitals. He also grabbed my head and brought it towards his crotch. I was very, very surprised and very shocked. I said, “What are you doing? You know I have a boyfriend. This isn’t what I came here for.”
Mr. Cain said, ‘You want a job, right?’ I asked him to stop, and he did. I asked him to take me back to my hotel, which he did right away.
Cain immediately issued a statement regarding the charges:
Just as the country finally begins to refocus on our crippling $15 trillion national debt and the unacceptably high unemployment rate, now activist celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred is bringing forth more false accusations against the character of Republican front-runner Herman Cain.
All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false. Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone. Fortunately the American people will not allow Mr. Cain’s bold “9-9-9 Plan”, clear foreign policy vision and plans for energy independence to be overshadowed by these bogus attacks.
I’d call that a complete denial, but having someone go on the record will make it more difficult for Cain to ignore the story, as he had planned to do with last week’s allegations. Despite Allred’s stupid comment about calling the incident Cain’s “idea of a stimulus package,” the fact that someone is willing to go on record and give specifics on a charge will make this seem a lot more credible than last week’s vague reporting from Politico. Making that more difficult is the statement from Bialek and Allred that the purported victim is a Tea Party Republican, which might indicate less of a credibility issue than otherwise.
I’m sure Allred hunts these women down and leans on them to become her “clients.” This gets Allred on TV, etc. I mean, really, Drew Peterson’s girlfriend did not decide to look Gloria Allred up in the phone book and call her so she could tell her story.
As the Cain campaign tweeted: “Welcome to the campaign, Gloria Allred. What took you so long?”
Agreed.
It’s all just too convenient. Allred claims she has two sworn affadavits from a “former boyfriend” and “her mentor” backing up Bialek’s accusation. She waves around two pieces of paper claiming they’re the affadavits, BUT refuses to hand out copies!
That means there WILL BE more Allred press conferences. What a circus. I hate liberals.
True. Those go to the surrounding circumstances, not to the allegation itself.
But if any of those facts went against the woman, that would be illuminating.
I still don’t know that I’m on board with the need to “go there,” though. At least not the campaign. I think they need to stay on message.
I don’t think our candidates need to “jump” every time the LSM says “jump.”
“This is going to sink Cain - 4 women now and rumors of a 5th?
ok - left with RP, Bachmann, and Newt to take out Romney.”
Whatever.
The MSM thinks for you, and you go running like a b*tch to some other candidate thinking they will be cool with them.
Do us a favor and not talk about nominees period.
I figure all that is going to checkout. She’s got the two sworn affidavits. I think one was from her doctor, the other from a friend. But yes, you are right, it should be easy enough to verify the plausibility of the incident.
But even if it does checkout. There is nothing she accused him of that he couldn’t respond with in-kind. “The woman was accepting my drinks, she was flirting with me, she accepted my upgraded room, she accepted my invitation to dinner, etc. I thought we were two consenting adults. The moment she made it clear that my advance was unwelcome I stopped.”
Sure, I’m probably naive, but I don’t imagine this is a conspiracy. This is hardly newsworthy at this point. It’s not harassment, it’s not assault. It’s a guy who thought an easy woman was coming on to him.
My wife watched with me and the first thing she says, is this lady made lots of mistakes. She thought the room was a nice romantic gesture from her boyfriend. The moment she heard it was from Cain the incident should have been over. Does she normally have drinks and dinner and get alone in cars with men when she is involved in a relationship with someone else?
When our kids were young, I wouldn’t drive most of our babysitters home alone. It’s just not worth it to put yourself in that type of situation.
Why would a supposed Tea Party Republican appear with a Democratic feminist lawyer? Yeah - I guess she just wants the country to know Cain’s true character, rather conveniently before the Iowa caucuses and the first primaries.
Because Cain is a serial harrasser? Liberals didn’t mind Clinton’s “bimbo eruptions.” But they’re concerned that Cain is going to endanger the Republic.
If only they practiced back then what they preach now.
The dialogue does read like a Roger Corman movie scripted by Roger Ebert—
RE: “The woman was accepting my drinks, she was flirting with me, she accepted my upgraded room, she accepted my invitation to dinner, etc. I thought we were two consenting adults. The moment she made it clear that my advance was unwelcome I stopped.”
__________________
Well, if Cain uses the abvoe excuse HE WILL THEN DEFINITELY BE IN TROUBLE.
A married man isn’t supposed to bne doing things like these behind his wife’s back. PERIOD.
And isn’t he an elder at his church? Isn’t he supposed to be a model of propriety?
I hope the incident did not happen at all, PERIOD. Any ADVANCE he makes on the woman will be troublesome.
At best, the affidavits are of what? What the woman TOLD them!
And if they’ve signed affidavits, why are they not agreeing to be identified? Why are copies not be distributed to the media for publication?
Why is the media publishing a completely dishonest photo of Allred waving paper, as if she has evidence, when there is no proof whatever that that paper is real or is evidence at this point?
Talk about more propaganda.
I've read through Hotair and Mediate, and can't find any info as to where this alleged incident took place. Rush said she'd accepted a dinner and drink invitation from Cain, but I haven't seen that anywhere. Did she actually go to dinner with him? Did she willingly go back to HIS hotel room afterward? They were obviously some other place than her hotel room as she claims she asked him to take her back to her hotel after the alleged incident. There's too many holes in this non-story as far as I can tell. Does anybody have more specific info than what's been published thus far?
If true, I don’t approve of that behavior from him. But I’m not surprised a woman would want to sleep with a powerful man to get a promotion or a pay raise. Still, if there was truth to the story, we’d be hearing rumors that Cain’s female workers got up by being with the boss. Long before he ever entered the presidential race.
Cain is showing exteme vulnerabilities that we cant afford.
we need to take out Obama in 2012 at all costs, and hopefully with someone other than romney.
Clearly, she was neither offended, nor traumatized, nor scandalized by this alleged incident.
Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be extremely disappointed in Mr. Cain if he were engaging in this sort of conduct. But this woman’s own statement, and the fact that she never made a complaint to the NRA, does not support the “outrage” she says she feels now, over a decade later.
Very well said. She clearly did not feel threatened during the situation. Anyone who is assaulted would have felt threatened.
It should read “ Gloria Allred hired as Herman Cain Campaign finance chairwoman.
You go GLORIA , another 2 million on the way to the Cain Campaign!
Anyone with half a brain knows this is all BS!
THANK YOU GLORIA !
SHARON BIALEK, CHICAGOLAND, THANK YOU!!!!!
And the acting skills of Roger Moore (or Roger Rabbit.)
Excellent question that needs to be shouted from the mountaintops.
Your average Tea Party Republican wouldn't be caught dead on the same side of the stage with Gloria Allred.
And your average Tea Party Republican wouldn't need a Dem feminazi lawyer to hold her hand if she did decide to make a statement about something.
Looks like she's got some scars on her face. She must need cash to get the rest of the job done.
If the only skeleton in his closet is a politically timed accusation from a woman twenty years ago, the Republic is in great shape.
I haven’t changed my mind at all. I don’t care. Its a political hatchet job. Its Sleaze 101.
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