Politics

Second Cain accuser is Obama administration communications pro

Vishal Ganesan Contributor
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The iPad-only news outlet The Daily has revealed the identity of one of the women who, according to Politico, accused presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his tenure as CEO of the National Restaurant Association.

The Daily reports that Karen Kraushaar, a communications director at the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, was a National Resturant Association spokesperson when, she alleges, Cain’s inappropriate behavior took place.

Joel Bennett, Kraushaar’s attorney, said recently that after his client officially filed a claim with the restaurant trade group “about a series of inappropriate behaviors and unwanted advances from the CEO,” the matter was resolved internally, leading to a monetary settlement and a confidentiality agreement.

Kraushaar has not made a statement about the incident, and Bennett has made it clear that both Kraushaar and her husband see no reason to revisit the claim now despite her former employer’s decision to waive her original confidentiality agreement.

The Cain campaign has been in crisis mode since Politico reported on October 30 that at least two women had made complaints against Cain for sexually suggestive behavior.

The story reached a climax yesterday when former National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation employee Sharon Bialek openly accused Cain of sexually harassing her in 1997 when she asked Cain for help finding a job.

Although the Cain campaign’s initial response was muddled, Cain eventually acknowledged that he had been “falsely accused” of sexual harassment while at the helm of the restaurant association.

Immediately following Bialek’s press conference, the Cain campaign released a statement calling all of the allegations false, a position that Cain reinforced personally during a Tuesday night appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Herman Cain is set to give a press conference Tuesday in Phoenix to address Bialek’s allegations.

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