Cain Dodges Reporters, More Details on Alleged Harassment Emerge

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Herman Cain avoided reporters Wednesday as he pushed on with his Washington speaking tour, and denounced his opponents amid fresh accusations that he has been dishonest about his alleged sexual harassment of subordinates 12 years ago.

The 2012 Republican presidential frontrunner became agitated with reporters Wednesday as he left a health care event in Virginia. Cain, who did not mention the scandal in his news conference there, refused to answer questions as he was stormed by reporters after the event. Later in the day, as he was leaving meetings on Capitol Hill, Cain again avoided questions by a throng of reporters, hurriedly getting in his car to move on to a private event.

The lawyer for one of the accusers told CNN Tuesday that his client was paid as part of a settlement that resulted from a sexual harassment complaint, contradicting Cain’s claims that the settlement was part of a severance package.

The New York Times reported that a second female employee got a year’s worth of severance pay after she complained that she felt uncomfortable working with Cain, the head of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. The GOP candidate said Tuesday he only recalled a settlement with one woman, and that amounted to about three to six months of severance pay.

The former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza was allegedly accused of inappropriate conduct by two female employees when he was head of the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999, as first reported by Politico. The association made a settlement with the women that included a financial payout and a confidentiality agreement.

Cain has repeatedly said he was falsely accused, and that the discrepancy in his version of the story is because he initially had a hard time remembering details of the events that took place more than a decade ago.

The Tea Party star first said he was not aware of any settlement, but later changed his story to say that there was one.

The former businessman has blamed his critics for stirring the pot and creating a “witch hunt.” His supporters cite the anonymous nature of the Politico story, and its timing -- as Cain's popularity is rising nationwide.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Herman Cain: ‘Confident’ I Can Beat Obama

Photo Courtesy - ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Talk show host and businessman Herman Cain Wednesday announced that he’s forming a presidential exploratory committee, with an eye on challenging for the Republican nomination in 2012.

On ABC’s “Top Line” webcast Thursday, Cain – the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza – said he’s planning to use the coming months to determine his support among voters and donors.

He said he’s “confident” that he could defeat President Obama.

“Yes. If I didn't think I could -- if I didn't think I could win the Republican nomination, No. 1, and if I didn’t think that I could beat, in a political competition, President Obama, I wouldn't be doing this,” Cain said.

“I had a new acquaintance ask me: Was I arrogant enough to be president. And my response was, I am confident enough to be president. So I am confident that -- after we go through this exploratory phase where we are going to test the amount of voter support, we're going to test the amount of financial support that I would be able to garner -- after I go through this phase and the decision is yes, trust me, I'm running to win. Not for a consolation prize.”

Cain had praise for the president’s speech Wednesday night in Tucson:

“He said the right things, and I think he set the tone,” he said. “That's exactly what you expect a leader to do. It should be a time for all of us to reflect upon the things that are really important, as well as reflect on toning down some of the incendiary rhetoric. So I thought that he did a good job in that respect.”

He also outlined some of his ideas for stimulating the economy, including making tax rates permanent, lowering corporate taxes and capital gains, and extending a payroll tax holiday for employees and employers.

“We can re-strengthen our national security, we can really get a handle on the immigration problems and we can really do something about cutting federal spending. That's where I'm going to focus on as I go forward in evaluating whether or not I am going to make a final decision to run for president,” Cain said.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio