Gloria Allred: Herman Cain trying to "crush women" who come forward
Gloria Allred, the lawyer for one of the women who has come forward accusing Herman Cain of inappropriate sexual behavior, said Wednesday she thinks Cain is using defensive tactics designed to "crush women" - and that if all the allegations against him are true, Cain is "not only a serial sexual harasser but also a serial liar."
Allred represents Sharon Bialek, the first woman to publicly level harassment charges against Cain. In an interview with Jan Crawford for the "CBS Evening News," the celebrity lawyer defended her client - and commended Bialek's "courage" in coming forward.
"I think it took a great deal of courage for her to step into the public square, so to speak - especially where it's such a high-stakes issue," she said.
She said Bialek had chosen to speak out in order to "encourage other women to come forward" and to give Cain the opportunity to "acknowledge what he has done."
"She is very disappointed that he has not taken what she has called a 'great opportunity' that he has offered him," Allred continued. "And instead he appears to be, in my opinion, at this point, engaged in a take-no-prisoners scorched earth policy, which appears designed to try to crush women who come forward."
Allred added that if all the accusations against Cain are true, "then he's not only a serial sexual harasser but also a serial liar" who "does not respect the rights and
the dignity of women."
"He appears to be declaring war on these women, and I think that's sad," Allred said. "They are vulnerable, and they are not people who have the resources that the rich and powerful Mr. Cain has. But I'm there to support my client because I think that she is a woman of courage and frankly I think that Mr. Cain should be ashamed of himself."
"Politics is a blood sport," she added. "Now there's blood in the water."
Allred has a history of taking high-profile clients and describes herself as a protector of women, something she described to CBS News as her "duty."
"That's what I am blessed to be able to do, and I want to do it for as long as I live, and if possible in the great beyond," she said. "If there is one."
