On Friday afternoon, I wrote that without details from his accusers, Herman Cain must be deemed “innocent,” or at least that charges that are both anonymous and unspecified cannot be considered significant enough to derail a presidential campaign. The American people cannot put their faith in, ’I won’t say what he did, but trust me, he’s guilty of wrongdoing.’
Now we have charges that are specific and no longer anonymous.
A Chicago woman just told reporters that in a 1997 encounter with Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain in Washington, D.C., he reached under her skirt and tried to pull her head toward his crotch.
A Cain spokesman calls the story “more false accusations.”
Sharon Bialek, who said she had come to Cain for employment advice, claimed he took her out to dinner and then in his car “suddenly reached over and put his hand on my leg under my skirt and reached for my genitals.” Then, she said, he “grabbed my head and brought it toward his crotch.”
When she objected, Bialek said, Cain said at first “you want a job, right?” Then he took her back to her hotel.
Bialek was introduced at her press conference by attorney Gloria Allred. To say Gloria Allred’s reputation is shaky is to say Bill Clinton had an interest in the opposite sex. Some will conclude that anyone who hires Allred as a lawyer is after publicity, and is not to be trusted. But that’s a non sequitor; a truthful person can hire Allred as easily as a liar.
If she’s telling the truth, Herman Cain is a creep (and probably guilty of what legally would be considered misdemeanor sexual abuse, defined as sexual contact without the other person’s permission). If she’s lying, she’s trying to destroy the man’s presidential campaign and reputation over… some as-yet-unknown motive.
I’ve put in a call to the Washington Hilton; one aspect of Bialek’s story should be fairly easy to verify, presuming the Hilton Corporation holds records from 1997: did Herman Cain rent a suite at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C.?
Sorry. She's not credible. Not after all this time and especially not with her connection to Gloria Allred.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs Mr. Geraghty mentions, records regarding the suite upgrade from 1997 would help make the accusations credible. While it's a classic he said/she said, if the suite upgrade never happened it hurts her credibility, if it did happen it at least raises questions.
Until then, the more that comes out (without corroborating evidence) the more his supporters will say it's a smear campaign, his detractors will want him to quit the race.
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Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSomething else to check - she said she's a registered Republican - can you check if that's true? Has she donated to Democrats or Republicans in last few years? Did she vote for Obama?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseshe didn't tell anyone the details ??? really ? her boyfriend accepted that it was inappropriate without details ? right ....
talk about a story right out of central casting ... he grabbed my crotch and then pushed my head towards his groin ??? couldn't they come up with a more believable story ?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAgreed. After reading the details, it sounds like boilerplate, cliched, harassment, straight out of every writerly hack's toolbox.
Oh, and she won't of course be taking any questions. Naturally.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell she's not the only one not taking questions on this matter. (Hint hint).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseActually... if the accusation is false then Cain can simply file a lawsuit for libel and defamation.
If Cain does not file suit, it's because something is true about these allegations.
Somethings starting to smell in here...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOr he's running for President and can't afford the distraction of a lawsuit while he's doing so. DUH
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseReally? How can Cain prove a negative?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIs this not what college kids do all the time? Is it not now the norm to show yourself with a web cam to girl, boy, friends and strangers? Are not your grade school kids stimulating themselves with each other on web cams? Did the writer who uses the word creep here never do the same thing with a girl or maybe a fella? Please......
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMy B.S. meter just pinned all the way in the red.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI doubt The Herminator has a taste for white trash.
A Few things that stick out to me:
This woman hired Glora Allred - possibly the most expensive celebrity attorney alive and yet she has no desire for making any money from her story.
This is the fourth woman to come forward and one of only two that were not paid off - the fact that two were paid off does give some merit to these accusations.
The same people who tried using Bill Clinton's sexual forays as tools to end his election are now crying wolf over Cain being accused.
With the number of times Cain has lied and flip-flopped (just google 'Cain flip-flop' there's plenty of them to go around - there's even a video in which - IN THE SAME SPEECH - he starts off by apologizing for his electrified fence statement then 40 minutes later says he stands by that statement) over the past year - I'm not surprised his brain-dead supporters (how else do you label a group of people who, when presented with all the facts about this man, still support him) are numb to his lies at this point.
I, for one, will not waste my vote on a Washington Lobbyist, Federal Reserve Branch Chairman who failed to see the economic disaster the Housing bubble would cause and seems to think that China still hasn't gone nuclear - on top of his wanting to add an additional %9 sales tax to my already 8.75% state sales tax.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"This is the fourth woman to come forward ..."
No - she is the first, and her story is unverifiable. No facts to back it up. None. Zilch.
"The same people who tried using Bill Clinton's sexual forays as tools to end his election are now crying wolf over Cain being accused."
Is this an admission (at last!) that Clinton is a rapist? Or is this the usual it's-not-a-crime-if-Democrats-do-it cr*pola?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd Mr. Geraghty is helping to heat the tar with his moral judgement that this behavior would make someone a "creep". I am sure his verdict would be quite different if it was one of his "buddies" telling the story on himself over a drink.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat she is accusing him of is sexual assault, a crime.
If it was true, why didn't she press charges then?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSexual assault? What feminist incubator were you hatched from? The Lewinsky protocol isn't even sex, so how could this be contexted as sexual? Assault? Oh my, precious, mommy really should not let you out in the dreat big world all alone.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's not easy to prove. It's basically her word versus his.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd it suddenly got easier?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow has waiting 10+ years helped her case?
Multiple tweets now that she'll be on at least two of the morning talk shows tomorrow.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAre Republicans going to continue to waste time and money on this character. If he were on the other side of the fence we would be screaming for his head. Let's get serious about beating Obama. Cain cannot possibly do that. Romney or Gingrich, make your choice and let's move on.
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