Fox News Cain Exclusive: 'I Have Never Sexually Harassed Anyone'

In an exclusive interview on Fox News Channel's "Happening Now," GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain acknowledged being accused of sexual harassment by two female employees in the 1990s but vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

"I have never sexually harassed anyone," Cain told Fox News' Jenna Lee.

Cain explained he was accused of harassment while at the National Restaurant Association, saying, “Yes, I was falsely accused while I was at the National Restaurant Association. And, I say falsely because it turned out, after the investigation, to be baseless.”

When Jenna Lee asked whether there was any sort of settlement, Cain stressed that if there were, he was not aware of it. If the Restaurant Association made a settlement, Cain said, “I wasn’t even aware of it and I hope it wasn’t for much because nothing happened.” Read more here ....

THIS STORY IS DEVELOPING ... MORE UPDATES TO COME!

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PREVIOUS UPDATES....

BY JONATHAN MARTIN, MAGGIE HABERMAN, ANNA PALMER, KENNETH P. VOGEL, POLITICO

During Herman Cain’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm to POLITICO.

The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.

In a series of comments over the past 10 days, Cain and his campaign repeatedly declined to respond directly about whether he ever faced allegations of sexual harassment at the restaurant association. They have also declined to address questions about specific reporting confirming that there were financial settlements in two cases in which women leveled complaints. Read more at Politico.com.

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BY KASIE HUNT, AP

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain planned to make several scheduled appearances in Washington on Monday following a report that alleges he was twice accused of sexual harassment while he was the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

In a statement Sunday to The Associated Press, his campaign disputed the Politico report that said Cain had been accused of sexually suggestive behavior toward at least two female employees. Read more at AP.org.

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Statement from Herman Cain's Spokesman:

Fearing the message of Herman Cain, who is shaking up the political landscape in Washington, Inside the Beltway media have begun to launch unsubstantiated personal attacks on Cain.

Dredging up thinly sourced allegations stemming from Mr. Cain's tenure as the Chief Executive Officer at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, political trade press are now casting aspersions on his character and spreading rumors that never stood up to the facts.

Since Washington establishment critics haven't had much luck in attacking Mr. Cain's ideas to fix a bad economy and create jobs, they are trying to attack him in any way they can.
        
Sadly, we've seen this movie played out before: a prominent Conservative targeted by liberals simply because they disagree with his politics.

Mr. Cain -- and all Americans -- deserve better.