Herman Cain, one of the frontrunners in the Republican race for the White House, dismissed allegations of sexual harassment against him as a “witch hunt” as he launched a damage limitation exercise to keep his candidacy afloat.
Over the course of two public appearances before the media and an interview with Fox News, Cain confirmed that he had been the subject of sexual harassment complaints involving two female workers in the restaurant industry – but insisted he had been “falsely accused”.
He also said he was unaware of any of the women receiving settlements over the claims, which he described as “trumped up”. Cain said he was “unaware of any sort of settlement. I hope it wasn’t for much, because I didn’t do anything.”
On Sunday night, Politico revealed that two female employees of the National Restaurant Association had received payouts after making harassment claims against Cain while he was the organisation’s president.
According to Politico, the women left the association after complaining about inappropriate behaviour by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable. They reportedly received settlements in return for signing non-disclosure agreements.
