Politics

Herman Cain, two years later: ‘I refuse to leave my reputation under a dark cloud’

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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It’s been two years since Herman Cain dropped out of the race for the White House after a media firestorm of past allegations of harassment and infidelity.

While the former Godfathers Pizza CEO and brief frontrunner for the GOP nomination has always vehemently denied the allegations, Cain is now going on offense again — addressing the allegations specifically — in an attempt to clear his name.

“I refuse to leave my reputation under a dark cloud that has no relation to the truth,” Cain wrote in a new lengthy post on his website Friday.

Elaborating, he wrote: “The accusations were false. I have never sexually harassed a woman and I did not have an affair with Ginger White.”

“Until now, I have never offered the facts that expose these accusations as lies, although I have been in possession of them,” Cain wrote. “It is now time to do so, not only because the false accusations have received renewed attention with the publication of a book that discusses them, but more importantly because I refuse to live my life, pursue my radio and professional career or do anything else that God has left for me to do in this world with a dark cloud attached to my reputation that is not consistent with the truth.”

Here are several excerpts from his defense:

Cain says a government agency dismissed the allegations of one employee who claimed he harassed her: “The accusation never made it to court. A review by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that the charges were baseless. Despite trying to thereafter negotiate a settlement greater than normal, the accuser ended up receiving typical termination pay.”

Ginger White, the woman who accused Cain of an affair, was actually being sued for libel at the time of her allegation: “While she was all over the media enjoying her ‘fifteen minutes of fame’… she was being sued by a former business partner for libel – in lay terms, for making false statements. She did not show up for the court appearance and the court subsequently ruled in favor of her former business partner. All of this is a matter of public record.”

Cain suggests his accuser made the affair allegation in order to give herself a better life, citing a February 2012 appearance in Hollywood. “White [walked] the red carpet at an Oscar party in Beverly Hills, California as the guest of her new attorney, Gloria Allred.”

“These are the facts,” Cain wrote. “You don’t have to believe them, but facts are what they are. I know who I am and what I am and so does God, and that is more than enough for me. I remain at peace with the truth.”

Read the full defense and timeline here.

In an interview with The Daily Caller this week, Cain said he’s skeptical about the claims in a new book that says the campaign of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman leaked the harassment rumors to the press during the campaign.

“I’m not sure what to believe,” he said about the new book “Double Down: Game Change 2012.”

Asked if he could imagine himself ever running for office again, Cain said: “At this point, I’m happy doing what I’m doing. I’m loving being a radio talk show host.”

“As far as politics in the future, the answer to that question is, nope, I’m not planning it. I’m not thinking it right now,” he said. “But I never know what I might decide to do down the road.”

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