The everyWoman Blog: “You Want A Job, Right?”: Sharon Bialek Accuses Herman Cain Of Sexual Harassment

Taken from here.

Another day, another woman accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment. Today’s accuser, unlike the others, is going public in a big way with her story. Sharon Bialek, a Chicago single mother who worked for an education foundation the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, appeared with celebrity attorney Gloria Allred at a press conference this afternoon. In a clear, strong voice, she told her story of being sexually propositioned by Cain in a car, where he groped her and said, “You want a job, right?” Her allegations are explosive, specific, lurid and, if they prove true, extremely damning.

Bialek enjoyed her fund-raising job at the National Restaurant Association in Chicago, which was part of a long career that has also included stints as the cohost of a local cooking show and as a Revlon account manager. But after about a year and a half on the job, she was laid off unexpectedly. Her boyfriend at the time, a doctor, encouraged her to contact Cain, who had been friendly to her at a work event even though she didn’t work with him directly. She did so, and Cain — the head of the entire organization — summoned her to Washington. That’s where things got ugly.

When Bialek arrived, she said, she was stunned to find that her accommodations were not just a normal hotel room, but a palatial suite. At first she wondered if her boyfriend had upgraded her to surprise her. When she went downstairs to meet Cain, he asked her how she liked her room, and she said it was amazing. He smirked and said, “I upgraded you.” She had no suspicion that anything was amiss.

Then they went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. Bialek wore a black pleated skirt and a suit jacket — hardly the costume of a seductress. Cain asked her why she was there. Bialek said she needed a job, and that her boyfriend — ahem! — had suggested reaching out to the encouraging head of the company.

When they left dinner, Cain suggested driving her past the company headquarters. He parked the car, but instead of getting out, he reached under her skirt and pulled her head toward his crotch. Bialek was shocked, reminded him she had a boyfriend, and told him that’s not what she had come for. What Cain said next may doom his presidential campaign:

“You want a job, right?”

She denied him again, and he drove her back to the office.

Flash forward more than a decade, and Bialek was invited to a Tea Party event in Chicago a month ago, where she ran into Herman Cain. According to Bialek, she went up to Cain and asked him if he remembered her. She said he looked uncomfortable — and rightfully so.

If Bialek’s story holds up, this is incredibly damning, and a textbook case of a powerful man trying to trade sex for a job opportunity. Bialek is a registered Republican, and a distinguished professional. Based on what we know of her so far, she is a “perfect” accuser — respectable, believable, and sympathetic. It will be very, very interesting to see how Republicans respond. Stay tuned.

Related posts: