A fourth woman stepped forward today to say that Republican presidential contender Herman Cain sexually harassed her when he was the chief executive of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.
Sharon Bialek, accompanied by her attorney, Gloria Allred, detailed the allegations about Cain's conduct in a news conference this afternoon. According to a transcript from USA Today, Bialek accused Cain — who she says was a mentor at the time — of conduct including reaching under her skirt and grabbing her head and attempting to push it toward his crotch. She urged him to "come clean" and "make it right."
From USA Today:
2:02 p.m. ET
Bialek says she told her boyfriend and "a mentor at the time" that Cain had been inappropriate. She said she was "embarrassed" and didn't go into details.
2:01 p.m. ET
Bialek says Cain offered to help her find a job with one of the state restaurant associations.
"He suddenly reached over and put his hand on my leg, under my skirt and reached for my genitals," she said. Bialek says Cain tried to pull her head toward his crotch.
2 p.m. ET
Bialek describes a situation in 1997, where she met him in the bar at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. She said he helped arrange a "palatial suite" at the hotel for her.
"I upgraded you," Bialek says Cain told her.
1:59 p.m. ET
Bialek says she reached out to Cain for help in finding a job at the behest of her boyfriend.
1:58 p.m. ET
Bialek describes how she sat next to Cain at a dinner during a National Restaurant Association conference. At the time she was employed by the NRA's educational foundation.
Bialek said she was coming forward to "give a face and a voice to those women who, for whatever reason, cannot come forward." Cain, for his part, has repeatedly said he has been falsely accused of sexual harassment. He said this weekend that he wants to get his campaign back "on message." It seems that will be difficult, if not impossible, for him to do unless he addresses the increasingly detailed and graphic allegations against him head on.
Read more at USA Today.
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