US presidential contender Herman Cain’s attempts to put a sexual harassment scandal to rest were set back as a witness disputed the candidate’s claim that he had never met one of his accusers.
The account of Victor Jay Zuckerman, a former boyfriend of the accuser, challenged the credibility of Mr Cain, a former pizza executive who has been unexpectedly running at the top of the polls in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Mr Cain has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Lin Wood, said Mr Cain stood by his earlier statement that he does not remember Sharon Bialek, Mr Zuckerman’s former girlfriend and one of four women who claim Mr Cain had sexually harassed them when he headed a restaurant trade group in the 1990s.
He has been running neck-and-neck with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Mr Romney remains the favourite of the Republican establishment and has seen challengers to his pre-eminence rapidly rise and fade over the past few months.
Mr Cain denies the allegations and claims donations to his campaign are rising because of what he claims is a smear campaign. Polls of Republican primary voters, however, show some of his support among women is fading. As that has happened, former congressman Newt Gingrich has gained ground.
Mr Zuckerman’s account of an evening he, Sharon Bialek and Mr Cain spent together in 1997 directly contradicts the candidate’s assertions that he had never met his accuser and did not recognise her name.
“During the National Restaurant Association convention in Chicago, Sharon indeed did meet and spend time with Mr Cain,” Mr Zuckerman said at a news conference, describing an after party Mr Cain had invited them to in a hotel suite after a National Restaurant Association event in Chicago.
Mr Cain was chief executive of the Washington lobbying group at the time.
“At that party, Mr Cain engaged both of us in conversation,” Mr Zuckerman said. Mr Zuckerman said he did not witness alleged sexual advances. He could only confirm that they and Mr Cain had met.
“When she returned, she was upset,” Mr Zuckerman said. “She said that something had happened and that Mr Cain had touched her in an inappropriate manner. She said she handled it and did not want to talk about it any further.”
AP