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One of Herman Cain’s accuser maintains silence
The first woman known to have filed a sexual harassment claim against GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain (pictured), while he ran a trade group shows no interest in revealing her identity or publicly discussing her accusations against the Georgia businessman.
The woman, who works for one of New Jersey’s largest lobbying firms, has deliberately made herself scarce. She has taken time off work, avoided staying at her home and dodged reporters’ visits, phone calls and emails for weeks since news surfaced about her sexual harassment claim against Cain. Her family, including a brother who is a lawyer and lists employment cases among his specialties, has declined interview requests.
She’s also steered clear of efforts by other women who have accused Cain of harassment and who hoped to appear together at a news conference to discuss details of their complaints against the businessman while he led the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.
Joel Bennett, a Washington lawyer representing another woman who settled a complaint against Cain, said last week that his client hasn’t heard from her former restaurant association colleague from New Jersey and won’t go forward with a news conference unless she does.
None of this comes as a surprise to those who know the New Jersey woman, all of whom agreed to speak to the AP on condition of anonymity to respect her desire for privacy. The AP knows her identity but is not disclosing it to protect her privacy.
She’s the behind-the-scenes researcher in a lobbying firm built by some of the state’s most prominent political figures from both parties. Yet few who walk the halls of the Statehouse know her.
It’s a stark contrast to the very public career of Karen Kraushaar, Bennett’s client, who has served as a public spokeswoman for various federal agencies. Or the dramatic, nationally televised news conference last week by Sharon Bialek, a Chicago woman who stood with high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred to offer cringe-inducing accusations that Cain tried to force himself on her.
