Doctor seeks to boost Cain accuser's credibility
A doctor friend of Herman Cain accuser Sharon Bialek corroborated Bialek's story on Monday, telling reporters at a press conference that Bialek told him after the alleged incident that "Mr. Cain had touched her in an inappropriate manner."
In an apparent effort to boost Bialek's credibility, the man, pediatrician Victor Zuckerman, read a written statement recounting his memory of the incidents in question. His lawyer, Gloria Allred, appeared alongside him at the press conference.
Bialek accused Cain last week of putting his hand up her skirt and attempting to push her head toward her crotch after a dinner meeting the late 1990s.
Cain has vehemently denied the charges, and said in an interview last week that he didn't even remember ever having knowing her.
"I don't even remember her - I reject all of those charges - how can I defend charges when I don't even remember this person by name? I don't remember that she did work at the Educational Foundation, and when I first saw her...I didn't even recognize her," Cain told ABC News of Bialek.
Cain's campaign last week released financial and court information about Bialek that appears an attempt to negate her credibility as an accuser.
In his press conference Monday, Zuckerman, who was at the time dating Bialek, described having met and spoken with Cain at a party while Cain was president of the National Restaurant Association.
"Mr. Cain invited Sharon and I to an exclusive after-party - it was held in a suite of the Chicago hotel where the main event occurred," he said, noting that while there were nearly 1,000 attendees at the main event, only about 50 were invited to the after-party.
"At that party Mr. Cain engaged both of us in conversation," Zuckerman recalled. "What struck a chord with me was that he had told me about his new gospel album - this was 1997 and indeed he released 'Sunday Morning' in 1996. Now, I do not follow this music genre, but to this day I remember how impressed I was by this accomplishment."
Zuckerman said that a few weeks later, when Bialek was let go from the NRA, he suggested she get in touch with Cain "to see if he could help her get other employment."
"I made this suggestion because of the positive interaction and the cordial conversation the three of us had during the conference," he said.
He noted that when the meeting between Cain and Bialek was set up, he paid for her transportation to Washington and her accommodations there. He emphasized, however, "I did not upgrade her suite." (Bialek says Cain told her at the time that he had arranged for the upgrade.) Of the encounter itself, Zuckerman said, "she has indicated in previous interviews her account of what happened in D.C."
But, he said, "I can confirm that when she returned, she was upset. She said that something had happened and that Mr. Cain had touched her in an inappropriate manner."
"She said she handled it and didn't want to talk about it any further," Zuckerman said, adding that they thus did not discuss the matter further.
Zuckerman said that he and Bialek, who have remained friends over the years, re-connected to discuss Cain as he rose in prominence as a national political figure.
"When Mr. Cain came to the national spotlight, we reminded each other that this was the man we had met so many years earlier," Zuckerman continued. "A few weeks later, the news reported that there had been sexual harassment allegations by two female National Restaurant Association employees against Herman Cain while he was the president... I remembered that Sharon had had a bad experience with him and called her to ask her if she was one of the accusers."
According to Zuckerman, Sharon "said no, but also added that based on her experience, such accusations didn't surprise her."
He said that "Sharon became livid as she heard Mr. Cain's denial of sexual harassment and felt she had to respond to these denials by going public with her experience."
Zuckerman also attempted to preempt questions about his own credibility, and conceded that while he has not "been accused nor ever committed a crime," has "no malpractice suits against me" and has been a board certified pediatrician for over 25 years, he did in the past file a chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy.
He said he was speaking out about the issue because he thought "the public has a right to this information."
"Mr. Cain is running for the most powerful position in the world," he said. "The public has a right to this information to help them make an informed decision."
