In Press Conference, Fourth Woman Accuses Herman Cain of Inappropriate Conduct

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Sharon Bialek speaks about allegations that presidential candidate Herman Cain sexually harassed her while standing with her attorney Gloria Allred (R) during a press conference at the Friar's Club in New York on November 7, 2011.

Escorted and represented by legendary discrimination attorney Gloria Allred, Sharon Bialek stepped out into the media’s bright lights to share her story of alleged inappropriate contact from Republican presidential frontrunner Herman Cain.

Bialek is the fourth woman to accuse Cain of inappropriate conduct, but the first to publicly share her story. Bialek begged Cain to “come clean” about the allegations of harassment that have cropped up in recent weeks. Bialek noted she “wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the other [accusing] women.”

(PHOTOS: Herman Cain Through the Years)

Bialek says she met Cain while working at the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the Washington-based organization for which Cain served as president from 1996 to 1999. Bialek, whom Allred introduced as a Republican Party supporter, explained that she was unexpectedly laid off from her position with the NRA in 1997. As she had met Cain on numerous occasions, she was comfortable reaching out to Cain for job advice. And that’s when, Bialek alleges, Cain took personal contact too far.

In recalling the 1997 episode that led to the alleged inappropriate sexual conduct, Bialek appeared empowered, almost giddy. She said she first met Herman Cain during the National Restaurant Association’s annual convention in Chicago that year. She was seated next to him at dinners and a luncheon during the association’s national convention, noting that he came off as “incredibly inspirational,” and even asked him jokingly, “When are you running for president?” But the next month, Bialek was unexpectedly let go from the organization. Her boyfriend, a Chicago pediatrician who had also met Cain during at least one of the convention events, suggested reaching out to Cain for job advice. She went through all the proper channels to schedule a D.C. meeting with Cain while she was traveling in the area. After a dinner meeting with Cain, she says he offered to show her the National Restaurant Association’s offices — but that they never made it there.

“Instead of going into the offices,” Bialek said, “he suddenly reached over and put his hand on my leg, under my skirt… He also pushed my head toward his crotch.” When she asked him to stop and drive her back to her hotel, she says he did, “right away.” And that was the last contact the two had until September of this year, when Bialek ran into Cain at a Chicago Tea Party convention. She noted that he remembered who she was, but appeared “uncomfortable.” After the incident, she said she raised no red flags. Since she was unemployed at the time, she didn’t file a workplace complaint, and confided only in her boyfriend and another male friend.

She says she has no plans to file a lawsuit or any other claim, but indeed the allegations of abuse are demanding answers from Cain’s camp. They continue to deny all allegations, issuing a statement Monday afternoon reading, “All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are false.”

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Big 12 commissioner resigns, conference pledges rebuilding

NORMAN, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Big 12 Conference Commissioner Dan Beebe resigned on Thursday as the struggling conference pledged to stick together despite losing three members the past two years.
"We sincerely thank Dan who has always demonstrated a total commitment to what is in the best interest of the Big 12 Conference," University of Missouri chancellor and chair of the Big 12 board of directors Brady Deaton said in a statement announcing Beebe had resigned, effective immediately.
Deaton said the conference hired Chuck Neinas to serve as interim commissioner, starting next week. Beebe, named commissioner in 2007, had joined the conference in 2003.
The Big 12 lost Nebraska and Colorado last year and will lose Texas A&M next summer, with speculation in recent weeks widespread that four more of its schools would bolt.
But the nine remaining members of the Big 12 agreed on Thursday to rebuild and make reforms in an hour-long conference call on Thursday, said David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma.
Beebe had been under fire over the defections from the conference and was under increasing criticism as Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech entertained the notion of joining the Pac 12 Conference, which ultimately decided not to expand further.
In voting to keep the Big 12 intact, Boren said university leaders agreed to a 6-year grant of television rights that will prevent any school from taking its television revenue to a different conference if it decides to leave.
The television agreement will bind the nine schools with "very strong handcuffs," Boren said, which he said will help bring stability back to the conference.
"It's an affirmation that we all agree to stay together," Boren said.
The university leaders also discussed changing the way TV revenue is divided among conference members, though nothing has been decided, Boren said.
Most college athletic conferences divide television money equally among its members. But the Big 12 gives more money to Texas and Oklahoma, its two powerhouse schools, because they appear more frequently on nationally broadcast games.
Oklahoma "has no desire to dominate the Big 12 Conference" and is willing to give some of the TV money it now receives to the smaller schools, Boren said.
The details will be discussed by a working group put together by Deaton, Boren said. The group also will examine adding three schools to the conference to replace Nebraska, Colorado and Texas A&M, he said.
Boren said he doubts Texas A&M will reverse its decision to leave the conference.
(Editing by Peter Bohan)

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