Herman Cain Accuser Asks for Permission to Tell Her Story

A lawyer for an unnamed woman who accused GOP hopeful Herman Cain of sexual harassment in the 1990s says that his client would like the terms of her settlement modified so that she can tell her side of the story. Politico has reported that it has confirmed two women who received payment packages in exchange for their silence after they accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his time as head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

So far, at least one of the women has commented through her attorney that she would like to come forward with the details of her story, but she is not legally able to do so because of the terms of her settlement with the NRA. The attorney stated that he would be conferring with his client on Wednesday and that he would have another statement at that time.

Herman Cain and his campaign staffers have struggled to stay ahead of the story, with initial denials followed by fitful bouts of broken recollections. It now appears that Cain acknowledges some sort of sexually-based misunderstanding with at least one woman, although he claims to not recall any details of a settlement that was reached.

Campaign observers and political commentators have been all over the story, and it now appears increasingly likely that more details are going to emerge. For the sake of the Cain campaign, his staff would be wise to get their complete version of events out to the media first in order to establish a baseline for the events in question. Once the story from the accuser reaches the media - and rest assured, it will - Cain's campaign will be forced into a defensive posture and will have lost control of the flow of information. It will be interesting to see how they play it, but they will have to act fast as the story is now exploding.