A senior adviser to one of Herman Cain's Republican presidential rivals on Tuesday urged the GOP front-runner's campaign to be more forthcoming about answering charges of sexual harassment, arguing that it's the responsibility of a candidate who is leading the GOP field to clear the air about his record.
Sitting just a few seats away from Cain campaign manager Mark Block on a stage at National Journal's Election Preview event, John Brabender, a longtime aide to former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., became the first prominent member of a rival campaign to comment on the charges that have engulfed Cain since the weekend.
Arguing that the Republican Party's nominee must be "vetted," Brabender laid into Cain for giving inconsistent answers to questions about allegations of sexual harassment from two women who worked for him during the late 1990s. The Georgia businessman initially said he wasn’t aware of any settlement reached with former employees, but later acknowledged he knew of one such instance – though he denies he harassed her.
“You said yesterday that Herman Cain answered every question asked on this issue,” Brabender said, speaking directly to Block. “The problem is the answers changed during the day.”
How the Republican electorate will respond to the accusations against Cain remains unknown. Though the allegations are potentially crippling, many conservatives have rallied to the candidate’s defense against what they see as a witch hunt by the media.
But Santorum’s campaign has been defined in the party by his eagerness to criticize his GOP rivals, on the trail and during debates, so it’s perhaps no surprise his campaign is the first to question Cain about the allegations.
Brabender also aggressively questioned Cain’s abortion views, on which he appeared to equivocate earlier this month.
“We’re still waiting for clarification from the Cain people,” Brabender said. “We’re as confused as ever.”
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