A Chicago-area woman who alleged she was groped by former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain said Monday that she feels “vindication” after his decision to suspend his campaign.
“At least I feel I have impacted his run for the presidency,” Sharon Bialek told a news conference at the Peninsula Hotel in downtown Chicago.
But, Bialek insisted, “I did not want to bring this man down.”
Instead, she said, she wanted to give Cain a platform to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness.
“I’m all about telling the truth,” she said. “(Cain) has no one to blame but himself. If you’re going to run for president, you must be prepared to have your dirty laundry aired.”
Bialek, who once worked for the National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation, said she was groped by Cain about 14 years ago.
She was the fourth woman to come forward in a week with allegations that Cain had behaved inappropriately during the time he was heading the association. But Bialek was the first who put her name and face to a sexual harassment claim against the GOP candidate.
Cain denied the allegations and a claim by another woman that she had a 13-year-long affair with him. Cain announced over the weekend, however, that he was suspending his presidential campaign, saying the media coverage has hurt his family.
Bialek insisted again that she has no plans to sell her story, despite financial difficulties, including an eviction notice for her Glenview town house. “Absolutely not,” she said.
But when asked about what she plans to do next, Bialek replied, “Honestly, I need a job. I’ve been interviewing like crazy.”
She said the interviewers “have been very kind” and have not asked about the Cain allegation. In fact, she said, she usually brings up the issue to “make light of it.”
