Herman Cain Could Be Described as a 'Monster,' Accuser Says
Most recent woman to come forward wants to band together with other accusers.
Nov. 9, 2011 — -- Hours after being publicly identified as one of several women to accuse Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment, civil servant Karen Kraushaar told ABC News that Cain could be described as a "monster."
Kraushaar said overnight she had attempted to dodge the media spotlight because she feared retaliation from Cain supporters. Her identity was revealed Tuesday and she has since hired a security team to guard her home outside Washington, D.C.
Last week, Kraushaar's attorney Joel Bennett said his client had reported a "series" of incidents involving Cain when she worked in the communications department of the National Restaurant Association and where Cain served as CEO in the late 1990s. She now works as a spokesperson for the Inspector General at the Internal Revenue Service. Bennett said his client had "preferred" not to be identified but did not want to try to "control the media."
Herman Cain Accuser Identified as Karen Kraushaar
Bennett said he did not want to characterize "what was physical and what was verbal," but that Cain's behavior "qualified as sexual harassment in our opinion." "Mr. Cain knows the specifics," he said. Kraushaar left the NRA after receiving a reported $45,000 settlement.
Cain, however, has strongly denied any wrongdoing with Kraushaar or any of the other three woman who have accused him of misconduct.
"They were found to be baseless and she could not find anyone to corroborate her story," Cain said of Kraushaar's claims Tuesday.
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When dismissing the claims of Sharon Bialek, who also worked for the NRA and who said she was sexually assaulted by Cain 14 years ago, Cain said he did not remember never even meeting her.
"My first response in my mind and reaction was, 'I don't even know who this woman is,'" he said.
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Instead, Cain said the entire purported scandal was the work of the "Democrat machine" out to smear his integrity.
"I have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period," said Cain. "The charges and the accusations I absolutely reject: They simply didn't happen. They simply did not happen."
Previously, Cain had claimed his team had been able to trace the plot to the campaign of rival Republican candidate Rick Perry.
Since her identity was revealed, Kraushaar said she wanted to appear at a joint press conference with Bialek and two other unidentified accusers. Bialek's attorney, Gloria Allred, said that Bialek would agree to participate in such a conference, according to Bennett.