The nature of complaints about Herman Cain’s behavior toward subordinates remains sketchy at best. But news accounts — not in the morning Democrat-Gazette, I note — do note his “evolving” accounts on the issue yesterday. In other words, he lied when he suggested no one had ever complained that he’d sexually harassed them. He lied when he disavowed knowledge of any settlement of such claims. There were complaints. A settlement was paid. He could well believe these were nuisance complaints and unmeritorious. He certainly didn’t want to discuss them. But to believe he could stonewall the facts — even with the unified support of the right-wing media army — was poor judgment.
I’m disappointed, still, that the New York Times among others is downplaying news of more black-and-white funny business in the Cain camp, in the matter of campaign finance.
New questions about the stewardship of his campaign arose on Monday after The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the campaign may have accepted tens of thousands of dollars in goods and services from a tax-exempt organization founded by Mr. Cain’s chief of staff, Mark Block, an apparent violation of campaign finance laws.
Documents obtained by the newspaper suggest the group, Prosperity USA, paid for Mr. Cain’s travel expenses to Iowa, Louisiana, Las Vegas and Houston as well as $3,764 for iPads. Federal election and campaign laws prohibit tax-exempt groups from engaging in political activity or contributing to election campaigns. Officials at the campaign and the group did not respond to messages seeking comment.
But Cain’s problems are small compared with Rick Perry’s weird New Hampshire performance:
