Cain defiant after third accusation

Sexual harassment could come to dominate the presidential primary campaign of former pizza boss Herman Cain after more allegations emerged yesterday, prompting bitter finger pointing within the Republican party.

The Republican businessman, whose popular campaign has seen him emerge as an unlikely frontrunner in the race for a White House campaign, remains defiant in the face of growing questions relating to his conduct as head of the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

Having at first said he knew of no settlement with his alleged accusers at the trade body, the 65-year-old has conceded that he was aware of an agreement with at least one female staff member.But the admission has failed to stem the growing scandal, with a third woman yesterday complaining of aggressive and inappropriate behaviour by Mr Cain.

After a few testy exchanges with journalists, Mr Cain has now gone on the offensive, accusing at first the “liberal media” and then right-wing rival Rick Perry of conducting a smear campaign.

The Texas governor has claimed innocence, with members of his campaign team suggesting instead that supporters of moderate frontrunner Mitt Romney may be to blame for the leaks. Until allegations of sexual harassment emerged last weekend, Mr Cain had been riding high in the polls.

Having benefited from a nose-dive in support for Mr Perry, the former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza has built-up a solid base among the Republican Party’s religious right.

A poll released on Wednesday – but conducted before the scandal broke – put Mr Cain at 30 per cent support amongst Republican voters, above Mr Romney on 23 per cent.

But the mounting scandal looks set to reverse his ascent. Many pundits had already suggested that the Cain bump was fleeting, with the former fast-food boss lacking the experience and political knowledge needed to maintain his campaign.

Foreign policy was an area of concern. In recent interviews, Mr Cain has said he would decline to answer questions over the presidency of “Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan” and that he feared China was seeking nuclear capability.

Republican pollster Dan Judy said: “Cain’s status as a frontrunner was always tenuous. He was due to fall sooner or later and the major impact of the allegations is that it will hasten his fall in the polls.”

The sexual harassment claims relate to Mr Cain’s time as head of the NRA in the late 1990s. Reports suggested that two female employees had issued complaints against the trade body’s then-president, both of whom had been paid off for their silence. One woman is now in talks with the NRA over the confidentiality clause, her lawyer said yesterday.

Meanwhile, a third female employee came forward yesterday with claims of improper behaviour by Mr Cain.

The woman said that he made a pass at her and invited her to his corporate apartment.

His actions “were inappropriate, and it made me feel uncomfortable,” she added.

Mr Cain’s supporters offered a few explanations as to where the information came from before settling on Mr Perry’s camp.

The Texas governor has defended his aides, telling a conservative blog: “We found out about the allegations against Mr Cain the same time everybody else did.”

Meanwhile, others have suggested that the former restaurant boss’s behaviour towards women was well-known and long due a public airing

Chris Wilson, a pollster who worked for the NRA during Mr Cain’s tenure, said he had witnessed first-hand the businessman’s “inappropriate comments and gestures”.

“I’m surprised that it hasn’t come up before,” he said.