“He Offered A Stimulus Package”: Gloria Allred Cashes In With Woman Claiming “Sex For Job” Offer From Cain
Nov 7, 2011 5 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Sharon Bialek of Chicago became the first woman accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment to go public Monday, describing an alleged incident in Washington in 1997 in which the president contender, then the president of the National Restaurant Association stuck his hand up her skirt and tried to pull her head toward his crotch.
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’” alleged Bialek, who said she had contacted Cain for help getting a job. “You know I have a boyfriend. This isn’t what I came here for.”
According to Bialek, Cain answered, “You want a job, right?”
Bialek claims that after the incident she rejoined her boyfriend and told him that Cain had been “sexually inappropriate.”
Cain campaign spokesman J.D. Gordon immediately responded with a statement that said, “All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false. Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone.”
Bialek appeared with attorney Gloria Allred at a press conference at New York’s Friars Club. Two other women filed complaints of sexual harassment against Cain while he helmed the NRA, but neither has spoken publicly. According to the Associated Press, a third woman also alleges sexual harassment by Cain while working at the trade group, but said did not file an internal complaint because one of her coworkers had already done so.
Bialek, described by Allred as a Republican and the single mother of a 13-year-old, said she had come forward “to give a face to those women who cannot.”
On Friday, an attorney for one of the other accusers said she would decline to come forward and discuss the case further. The Associated Press has reported that a third woman considered filing a complaint while working at the NRA but opted against it because a coworker had already filed.
Cain had denied the allegations of harassment, and has charged the presidential campaign of Texas governor Rick Perry with leaking the story. Perry’s campaign denies any involvement, which surfaced in Politico more than a week ago.
After his Saturday night debate with fellow GOP candidate Newt Gingrich in Texas, during which he accused the media of failing to follow “journalistic standard(s)” in reporting the sexual harassment story, Cain told reporters that “everything has been answered.”
“End of story,” said Cain. “We’re getting back on message, okay?”
On Monday, the Cain campaign greeted the announcement of Gloria Allred’s press conference with a derisive Tweet: “Welcome to the campaign, Gloria Allred. What took you so long?”
Allred is well known for representing witness Amber Frey during the Scott Peterson murder case, the family of the late Nicole Brown Simpson during O.J. Simpson’s murder trial and former Tiger Woods girlfriend Rachel Uchitel during the public controversy over the golfer’s extramarital affairs.
Cain defenders have tried to turn the tables, with a commercial that paints the allegations as fabrications from rivals and the liberal media. It includes pointed comparisons to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who faced charges that of inappropriate behavior during confirmation hearings 20 years ago.
