Herman Cain accuser got $45,000: Politico

After reports that Herman Cain’s two sexual harassment accusers received much higher settlement payments than he had previously acknowledged, Cain’s campaign has taken on a new strategy reminiscent of Clarence Thomas' defense.

One of the women who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s received about $45,000 as part of her settlement agreement, according to Politico.

Cain initially said she received payment for only two or three months’ salary, but the figure is significantly higher than the average salary for her job in that amount of time. Cain had said during an interview with Fox News that she was a writer in the communications department.

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According to the Huffington Post, a second woman who accused Cain of sexual harassment during the same time period received $35,000 in severance pay. Cain denies any knowledge of the payment, Politico reported.

But despite the contradicting statements and media flurry over the allegations, Cain and his campaign now seem to be moving forward with a strategy similar to the one used by Clarence Thomas: Make the story about the people trying to bring him down, not about the allegations.

It’s a strategy that seems to be working.

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Washington Post reported:

Right now, Cain has more goodwill than any other Republican presidential candidate among the GOP base, and that base seems to be solidly standing by Cain, at least currently. Cain’s fundraising tells the story; he’s reportedly raised $1 million over the last five days — an even faster pace than he had set in early October.

The super PAC Americans for Herman Cain is calling the controversy a “high-tech lynching,” according to the Washington Post. Those are the same words used by Thomas more than 20 years ago.

Thomas, now a Supreme Court judge, was accused of sexual harassment during the nomination process to the court in 1991.

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The group also sent a fundraising e-mail to supporters today titled “Don’t let the media ‘lynch’ another black Conservative.”

Cain himself has no qualms with linking himself to Thomas’ circumstances, either.

He sat down with Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, for a video interview on The Daily Caller. The two did not discuss any similarities between the two cases, but Cain said he felt he was being treated by reporters as “guilty until proven innocent.”