According to the Politico, two women accused Cain of “inappropriate behavior” and reportedly received five-figure payments after signing an agreement with the National Restaurant Association. The allegations date back to the 1990s when Cain was head of the Association.
The story gained momentum Monday largely because of Cain’s initial lackluster response. When approached by Politico’s Jonathan Martin, who co-wrote the article, the usually outspoken politician was evasive and uncharacteristically side-stepped giving a direct answer
This sparked speculation the allegations may damage Cain’s presidential campaign, which sees him neck-and-neck with former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney.
Clarence McKee an African-American Republican Party strategist based in South Florida says these types of allegations do not surprise him. “It’s another Clarence Thomas effort, they also tried to get him,” he says.
theGrio: Conservative at Cain event calls Dems ‘party of KKK’
“It’s ironic that the two prominent minority Republicans — Herman Cain and Marco Rubio — have had allegations resurface about their past. The Liberal Establishment does not want African Americans and Hispanics voting for black or Hispanic Republicans because they know they will lose a solid fan base.”
Cain has tried to get in front of the story, with a vehement denial of the allegations earlier today on Fox News.
