Tweet
Cain Campaign Prepares for Scrutiny Amid Harassment Allegations
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Get ready for a pretty intense day on the campaign trail.
A spokesman for Herman Cain has now denied a report alleging sexual harassment by the Republican presidential candidate as Mr. Cain prepared for a day of previously scheduled appearances in Washington.
Politico reported Sunday night that two women had accused Mr. Cain of harassment in the 1990s, while they worked for him at the National Restaurant Association, which Mr. Cain ran after leaving the chief executive’s post at Godfather’s Pizza.
The campaign issued a statement blasting the “inside the Beltway media” but not directly denying the allegations. J.D. Gordon, a spokesman for Mr. Cain, also refused to offer an outright denial during an interview with Geraldo Rivera on Fox News.
“These are thin allegations, this is non-sourced,” Mr. Gordon said. “This is a typical attack on a conservative who is doing well in the polls.”
But Mr. Gordon later denied the allegations directly in an interview with The Associated Press. Asked whether the campaign was denying Politico’s allegations, Mr. Gordon said, “yes.”
“These are baseless allegations,” Mr. Gordon told the news organization. “To my knowledge, this is not an accurate story.”
Candidates often hunker down after accusations like this emerge, sometimes helped by a travel schedule that keeps them far away from most reporters, who have to scramble to make plane reservations.
That won’t be the case with Mr. Cain, who was already scheduled to make a series of appearances in Washington. He is scheduled to speak at the American Enterprise Institute at 9 a.m. and again at the National Press Club at noon.
Mr. Gordon told The New York Times on Sunday night that Mr. Cain intends to keep his schedule in Washington. If he does, he will no doubt be inundated with questions from national political reporters who are trying to follow up on Politico’s report.
The media interest in the allegations against Mr. Cain come amid fresh evidence over the weekend that the veteran businessman continues to capture the imagination of many Republican primary voters.
Mr. Cain was tied with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in Saturday’s Des Moines Register poll of Iowa caucus voters. He is also tied with Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, in a presidential poll of Texas primary voters.
In his Washington appearances, Mr. Cain was hoping to discuss his “9-9-9″ tax plan that has helped him surge in the polls. But reporters are certain to try to press him to offer details about the Politico allegations.
The direction that the issue takes in the days ahead may depend on how Mr. Cain handles the questions.
Part of Mr. Cain’s appeal in the presidential campaign has been his blunt, no-nonsense approach and his claim that he is not a politician who gives the non-answers typical of presidential hopefuls.
If he dodges questions or refuses to answer, that could undermine some of his appeal, particularly in the early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina. On the other hand, engaging the allegations directly will give Politico’s competitors the ability to follow the report with ones of their own, extending the news.
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Get ready for a pretty intense day on the campaign trail.
A spokesman for Herman Cain has now denied a report alleging sexual harassment by the Republican presidential candidate as Mr. Cain prepared for a day of previously scheduled appearances in Washington.
Politico reported Sunday night that two women had accused Mr. Cain of harassment in the 1990s, while they worked for him at the National Restaurant Association, which Mr. Cain ran after leaving the chief executive’s post at Godfather’s Pizza.
The campaign issued a statement blasting the “inside the Beltway media” but not directly denying the allegations. J.D. Gordon, a spokesman for Mr. Cain, also refused to offer an outright denial during an interview with Geraldo Rivera on Fox News.
“These are thin allegations, this is non-sourced,” Mr. Gordon said. “This is a typical attack on a conservative who is doing well in the polls.”
But Mr. Gordon later denied the allegations directly in an interview with The Associated Press. Asked whether the campaign was denying Politico’s allegations, Mr. Gordon said, “yes.”
“These are baseless allegations,” Mr. Gordon told the news organization. “To my knowledge, this is not an accurate story.”
Candidates often hunker down after accusations like this emerge, sometimes helped by a travel schedule that keeps them far away from most reporters, who have to scramble to make plane reservations.
That won’t be the case with Mr. Cain, who was already scheduled to make a series of appearances in Washington. He is scheduled to speak at the American Enterprise Institute at 9 a.m. and again at the National Press Club at noon.
Mr. Gordon told The New York Times on Sunday night that Mr. Cain intends to keep his schedule in Washington. If he does, he will no doubt be inundated with questions from national political reporters who are trying to follow up on Politico’s report.
The media interest in the allegations against Mr. Cain come amid fresh evidence over the weekend that the veteran businessman continues to capture the imagination of many Republican primary voters.
Mr. Cain was tied with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in Saturday’s Des Moines Register poll of Iowa caucus voters. He is also tied with Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, in a presidential poll of Texas primary voters.
In his Washington appearances, Mr. Cain was hoping to discuss his “9-9-9″ tax plan that has helped him surge in the polls. But reporters are certain to try to press him to offer details about the Politico allegations.
The direction that the issue takes in the days ahead may depend on how Mr. Cain handles the questions.
Part of Mr. Cain’s appeal in the presidential campaign has been his blunt, no-nonsense approach and his claim that he is not a politician who gives the non-answers typical of presidential hopefuls.
If he dodges questions or refuses to answer, that could undermine some of his appeal, particularly in the early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina. On the other hand, engaging the allegations directly will give Politico’s competitors the ability to follow the report with ones of their own, extending the news.
