Cain camp admits false claim about reporter

CBS News Photo by Chris Usher

Herman Cain campaign manager Mark Block was not telling the truth when he claimed on Fox News that one of the women accusing Cain of sexual harassment is the mother of a reporter at the news outlet that broke the story, the Cain campaign acknowledged Wednesday. 

After noting Tuesday night that "Karen Kraushaar had come out as one of the women" who accused Cain, Block told Sean Hannity that "we've come to find out that her son works at Politico," the news site that first broke the harassment allegations.

Asked by Hannity if Block had "confirmed that," Block (pictured at left) responded, "we confirmed that he does indeed work at Politico, and that's his mother, yes." 

Block's comment was inaccurate on multiple levels. First off, the reporter to whom he was referring, Josh Kraushaar, is a former Politico reporter; he has worked at National Journal since 2010. Second - and most importantly - he isn't Karen Kraushaar's son. And third, Block doesn't appear to have tried very hard to verify his claim despite his statement that he had "confirmed" it.

On the National Journal website, Josh Kraushaar wrote Wednesday that he had responded to multiple inquiries Tuesday explaining that he is not related to Karen Kraushaar, and also put the information out in a Tweet. No one from the Cain campaign, he said, contacted him before Block went on the air. 

"Despite that, Block proceeded to go on Sean Hannity's Fox News show to proclaim that I was Karen Kraushaar's son and to suggest I was one of the people who leaked the story," wrote Josh Kraushaar.

Earlier today, the Cain campaign came clean, saying in an email to a number of media outlets that "Based upon information available at the time of Mr. Block's Tuesday night interview on Fox News, the campaign was led to believe that Mr. Josh Kraushaar, currently with the National Journal and a former employee of Politico, was the son of Karen Kraushaar. Mr. Josh Kraushaar is in fact, not related to Ms. Karen Kraushaar."

According to a Tweet from National Journal Communications Director Taylor West, Fox told National Journal that it plans to correct Block's claim on the air Wednesday evening.

Block, who seen last month smoking in a Cain web ad that went viral, claimed last week that Rick Perry's campaign had leaked the story to Politico - before subsequently walking that claim back.

Block is also at the center of questions as to whether a corporation he co-founded called Prosperity USA illegally paid expenses for Cain's presidential campaign in its early going.

Influential conservative blogger Ed Morrissey of Hot Air wrote Wednesday morning that Block needs to step down.

"If he's not gone by tomorrow, no one will take this campaign seriously again -- nor should they," wrote Morrissey .

[levelheadedtoo]

Listen, this is politics. We live in a culture that thinks a lie is as good as the truth if you get the base to believe you. The camp that is in trouble will say whatever it takes to get attention away from the candidate. They can just make up a lie because the corrections are always on page three.

[tonymac757]

Cain keeps taking about himself in the 3rd party.
What utter arrogance !!
Cain is a womanizing lowlife and needs to remove himself, as a candidate asap.
Block will not step down because he financed Cain at the beginning of his campaign. He owns Cain.
I admire these woman for coming forward, knowing full well they will be put under a microscope and belittled.
Of cause Cain will not admit to anything, if he confesses to just one claim, he losses all credibility.
As one victim says "keep me away from this monster" please keep us all away from this monster.
Step down Cain, you are a disgrace to this country and your family.

[ladyang]

Wait, wait, don't tell me, it was President Obama's fault! What a load!

[syrik]

Cain campaign caught blatantly lying. Why isn't this story one of the major headlines? Why is it a sidebar?

[adrenalin666666]

it appears that the republican party hits bottom and then they call up top to throw down more shovels......

"we kin dig ar way oughtta thisa here hole" says george w. bush and the entire state of texas.

[lefty529]

CBS news and the WWF present the tag team of the ******* blond duo vs the monster mandigo warrior. The white boys are free to call him sambo if theys please.

[Jaylah54]

A person could easily get seasick listening to Cain and his staffers constantly change their stories.

Wouldn't it be so much easier just to tell the truth?

[stuwerb]

I love Mark Block. He's smokin hot.

[cbsblogger]

I consider Cain uninformed. I can't stand listening to his verbal colloquialisms and attempted cleverness to cover up his lack of knowledge on most everything. If Mark Block said this, he should be expelled from the media as lacking basic integrity.

[bobnjersey]

[the campaign was led to believe that Mr. Josh Kraushaar, currently with the National Journal and a former employee of Politico, was the son of Karen Kraushaar. Mr. Josh Kraushaar is in fact, not related to Ms. Karen Kraushaar." ]
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this josh kraushaar is 'the brother' ... the brother of 'the real' josh kraushaar who leaked the story ... the brother of another mother ... just like herman is to the kock brothers.