Ginger White, an Atlanta businesswoman, came forward yesterday to claim she has had a 13-year-long affair with Herman Cain, who is vying to be the GOP’s presidential nominee. Herman Cain denied any affair and called Ginger White “an acquaintance who I thought was a friend.” He has been married to thus-far loyal wife Gloria Cain for 43 years.
Ginger White spoke to a Fox 5 affiliate in Atlanta and supplied the station with a phone bill, which had 61 phone calls and text messages from a 678 area code phone number. When a reporter for the station texted the number, Herman Cain himself called back. He immediately denied any inappropriate relationship with her and said he has only been financially helping out White, who is unemployed and a single mother with two kids.
Gloria White said she met Cain at a conference during the 1990s when he was CEO of the National Restaurant Association. She claimed Cain invited her up to his hotel room and told her she was “beautiful” and that he would “love for us to continue this friendship.” Soon afterwards, she claims she flew to Palm Springs to meet up with him. She explained:
“It was fun. It was something that took me away from my humdrum life at the time. And it was exciting. … It was pretty simple. It wasn’t complicated. I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware that I was involved in a very inappropriate situation.”
“It bothered me that they were being demonized, sort of, they were treated as if they were automatically lying, and the burden of proof was on them. I felt bad for them.”
That, apparently, is what compelled Ginger White to come forward.
I’m inclined to believe that the alleged affair plus the sexual harassment accusations mean that where there is smoke, there is fire. But yesterday Cain maintained his innocence and will not drop out of the GOP race as long as his wife supports him. So I guess, Michele Bachmann, watch your tush!
Contact the author of this post at Jessica@TheFrisky.com. Follow me on Twitter at @JessicaWakeman.