KIM KARDASH
JF-Expert Member
- Sep 21, 2011
- 5,139
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Denying he ever sexually harassed anyone, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain declared Monday he was falsely accused in the 1990s while he was head of the National Restaurant Association and the allegations are surfacing now as part of a "witch hunt."
The former pizza company executive was responding to a Politico report that said the trade group gave financial settlements to at least two female employees who had accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior.
"I have never sexually harassed anyone, and yes, I was falsely accused while I was at the National Restaurant Association," Cain said Monday morning in an interview on Fox News. "I say falsely because it turned out, after the investigation, to be baseless."
But throughout the day Monday, Cain offered conflicting responses as to whether he remembered the specifics of the allegations or the existence of settlements with the women. That raised new questions about the candidate who now is at or near the top in many polls on the GOP race.
At an appearance at the National Press Club Monday afternoon, Cain said he did not know if the trade association provided any settlements, and he declined to address specifics of the accusations or any resolution.
Video: Cain: 'I have never sexually harassed anyone' "I am unaware of any sort of settlement. I hope it wasn't for much, because I didn't do anything," he said.
But in an interview later Monday with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren, Cain said he did know about it. "Yes, there was some sort of settlement or termination," he said.
He told Van Susteren his accuser was given "maybe three months' salary. I don't remember. It might have been two months. I do remember my general counsel saying we didn't pay all of the money they demanded."
During his appearance at the press club, he declared: "There's nothing else there to dig up. ... We have no idea the source of this witch hunt, which is really what it is."
In an interview with The Associated Press immediately afterward, Cain first said he had some memory of specific allegations - and then said he was not aware of any.
"Some of them," he responded initially.
When pressed, he said: "That was 12 years ago. So no, I don't remember."