Cain Plans Presser In Wake Of New Allegation

Presidential Herman Cain is planning on holding a press conference Tuesday evening to respond to the mounting allegations that he behaved improperly with female employees in the 1990s.

“We’re taking this head-on,” Cain said during an interview on the late-night program Jimmy Kimmel Live, an apparent reversal for the former businessman who has recently declined to answer any questions regarding the allegations.

On Monday, Cain faced his first accusation from a woman who revealed her identity: Chicago woman, Sharon Bialek, a terminated employee of the Association’s Educational Foundation. In a press conference, Bialek charged that Cain touched her improperly and attempted to bring her head to his genitals in exchange for a job.

During the interview, Cain called the account “totally fabricated.”

Prior to Bialek’s allegations, a Politico report revealed that while head of the National Restaurant Association, Cain was accused of sexual harassing two female employees. A third former employee detailed additional instances of inappropriate behavior to the Associated Press later that week. Cain maintains that he has never sexually harassed anybody, the Association paid to settlement claims for two women.

Cain’s press conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona at 5pm. The former businessman told Kimmel that he will address “any and all future firestorms.”

“I’m in it to win it and i’m not going to be discouraged!” Cain said.

Accuser Confronted Cain About Harassment at Tea Party Meet in October

 A woman who alleges Herman Cain sexually harassed her 14 years ago says she confronted him about the incident before a Tea Party event last month.

 In a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred today in New York, Sharon Bialek told reporters Cain made inappropriate sexual advances after she asked him for help finding a new job in 1997. 

 Bialek says she got a chance to confront Cain about the incident almost a month ago, before an appearance at a Tea Party Conference event sponsored by WIND Chicago radio.

“I didn’t actually know he would be there but the night before, when my girlfriend told me, I went up to him and asked him: “ Do you remember me?”…I guess I wanted to see if he was going to be man enough to own up to what he had done some 14 years ago. He acknowledged that he remembered me from the Foundation, but he kind of looked uncomfortable and he said nothing as he was whisked away for his speech by his handlers.”

 “During his speech, he had that same infectious presence that we had come to know and command that he did when I heard him speak 14 years ago at the NRA. As I sat there in the audience I kept wondering to myself, had he done to other women what he had done to me and wether anyone was going to speak out about it.”

Bialek, a one time employee at the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association,told reporters she first met Cain at the National Restaurant Association’s 1997 convention in Chicago, where she sat next to him during several luncheons and dinners. 

 Bialek says she had become friendly with Cain over the course of the 5 day convention and after seeing one of his “inspirational” keynote address at an event, even asked him when he would be running for President. Bialek says her and her boyfriend at the time sat at Cain’s table during the convention’s closing diner and joined him for an after-party in his hotel suite.

 Bialek says she was fired from the NRA Educational Foundation a month after the convention. She says she was never told why she was let go but that her boyfriend suggested she talk to Cain to see if he could help her get a new job.

Bialek says she called Cain’s office to schedule a meeting for coffee while she visited DC.  After making the plans, her boyfriend booked her a room at the capital Hilton and she let Cain know of her arrival dates.

“When I checked into the room I was shocked, I had a palatial suite and I said to the bellman there has to be some mistake but he insisted there was no mistake”.  Bialek said she initially thought her boyfriend had tried to surprise her, but when she met Cain at the hotel bar later that night, he told her he had gotten her an upgrade. 

 After drinks at the bar, she says they drove to an Italian restaurant for dinner.

 “During dinner Mr Cain looked at me and said “ Why are you here?” I said: “Actually Herman my boyfriend whom you met suggested that I meet with you, he though you could help me because I really need a job.” 

Bialek says that on the drive back to the hotel, Cain decided he would take her on a tour of the National Restaurant Association office.

“I thought we were going to go into on of the offices so he could show me around.”

Bialek says that in the car outside the National Restaurant Association offices, Cain tried to reach under her skirt for her genitals and then grabbed her head and tried to push it down towards his crotch.

“I was very very surprised and very very shocked. I said what are you doing? You know I have a boyfriend, this isn’t what I came her 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 room and he did right away.”

Bialek says that when she returned home to New Jersey, she told her boyfriend about Cain’s inappropriate behavior and later told another friend. 

 Her attorney Gloria Allred showed reporters two statements written under oath by the former boyfriend and friend, acknowledging that she had told them separately of the incident shortly after it had happened.

“I didn’t tell them the details because frankly I was very embarrassed that Mr. Cain had been sexually inappropriate to me.” Bialek said. “I didn’t file a complaint against Mr. Cain as some of the other women did, because I wasn’t employed by the foundation when this occurred” 

“But now I’m coming forward to give a face and a voice to those who maybe cannot or for whatever reasons do not wish to come forwards, and on behalf of all women who are sexually harassed in the work place but do not come out in fear of retaliation or public humiliation.”

 Allred said her client had no plans to file a lawsuit.

 “She is not filing any law suits, any claim against Mr. Cain or the Restaurant Association. She could have sold the story, she did not try and do so, she is not interested in doing so. She was interested in giving a voice to what happened to her.” 

Bialek, a registered Republican, says she wants Cain to admit to the charges, so the race for Presidential nomination could move forward without distractions. 

“I want you, Mr Cain, to come clean. Just admit what you did, admit you were inappropriate to people and then move forward. America is in a horrible turmoil as we all know. We need a leader who can set an example, which exemplifies the standards of a good person and moral character. Mr. Cain I implore you. Make this right, so that you and the country can move forward and focus on the real issues at hand.”

Poll: Cain Takes Post-Scandal Hit

According to a new poll from Reuters/Ipsos, favorability for the Presidential hopeful Herman Cain has fallen from 66 percent last week to 57 percent this weekend, a 9 point loss, proof that sexual harassment allegations against the former businessman and his campaign’s subsequent handling of the charges have likely hurt the ex-businessman’s standing in the GOP field.

Early last week, a report from Politico revealed that while Cain was heading the National Restaurant Association, he faced sexual harassment charges from two female employees. Although Cain maintained that he has never harassed anybody, settlement payments were given to two of the employees.

Making matters harder for Cain, the new survey found that voters are divided over whether they believe his side of the story, with 53 percent responding that they believe Cain did, in fact, sexually harass his employees.

Cain campaign’s handling of the charges has raised eyebrows. Cain initially said that he did not believe a settlement was agreed to, but later the same day said that at least one was. He attributed the shift in his explanation to remembering new details. The campaign then pointed to the Perry campaign as the possible source for the story, but then retracted the accusation.

Cain has spent the majority of the election cycle as a long-shot candidate. However, after winning the Florida straw poll in late September, Cain surged to front-tier status, topping GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney in multiple polls.

The new poll, conducted among 1,007 respondents on Friday and Saturday, found that while Romney holds a stronger approval rating than Cain, 63 percent, the former businessman still leads Texas Governor Rick Perry, who charts at 47 percent.

National Restaurant Association Statement On Cain Accuser

National Restaurant Association CEO Dawn Sweeney released the following statement today in response to the attorney of a former female employee who accused GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment back when he was CEO of the group in the late 1990’s:

“Based upon the information currently available, we can confirm that more than a decade ago, in July 1999, Mr. Bennett’s client filed a formal internal complaint, in accordance with the Association’s existing policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment. Mr. Herman Cain disputed the allegations in the complaint. The Association and Mr. Bennett’s client subsequently entered into an agreement to resolve the matter, without any admission of liability. Mr. Cain was not a party to that agreement. The agreement contains mutual confidentiality obligations.”

“Notwithstanding the Association’s ongoing policy of maintaining the privacy of all personnel matters, we have advised Mr. Bennett that we are willing to waive the confidentiality of this matter and permit Mr. Bennett’s client to comment. As indicated in Mr. Bennett’s statement, his client prefers not to be further involved with this matter and we will respect her decision.”

“The Association has robust policies designed to ensure that employees with concerns may bring them forward for prompt investigation and resolution, without risk of retaliation. The Association is fully committed to equal employment opportunity and to an environment that is free from any discrimination or harassment.”

New Ad Challenges Romney's Abortion Stance

The Democratic National Committee has produced a new ad spotlighting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s support for a constitutional “personhood” amendment.

The measure, which defines life as beginning at conception, has been proposed in Mississippi and five other states. Supporters of the amendment say that it will outlaw abortion and other forms of “human cannibalism” such as human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.

However, opponents of the measure argue that it would restrict a woman’s right to choose and would endanger the lives of women who experience health complications during their pregnancy, or become pregnant as a result of rape or incest.

In an interview with Fox News’ Mike Huckabee — a one-time Republican candidate for president himself, Romney was asked whether he’d support the amendment. Romney’s response was “absolutely.”

The DNC pounced on the soundbite, juxtaposing it with soundbites from opponents in Mississippi who voice their concerns about the measure.

“Mitt has an uncanny ability to change course depending on the day, so we put together a video to show exactly where he stands on a woman’s right to choose — whether she’s choosing emergency contraception, or to save her own life,” said DNC Executive Director Patrick Gaspard. “This is the most radical position any of the Republican candidates have taken on this issue, and may be the most radical position any of them have taken on any substantive issue in the race for the nomination so far.”

Later during the interview, Romney told Huckabee that he believes the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision should be reversed, and that states should be allowed to individually regulate abortion. Should any one state vote to pass the “personhood” amendment, it would force the Court to revisit the case.

The amendment is set to be voted on by Mississippi voters this coming Tuesday.