Herman Cain’s staff spent the better part of Wednesday afternoon accusing Perry campaign aide Curt Anderson — by name — of tipping off Politico on their report that Cain had been accused of sexual harassment. But on Thursday, Cain aide Mark Block reversed himself on FOX News and said that he no longer believes Anderson was involved.
Anderson had fiercely pushed back against Block’s earlier claim that he had been behind the leak. On Thursday he publicly asked any reporter who had allegedly talked to him to reveal whether or not he was the source for the Cain story. That denial was apparently good enough for Block.
“All the evidence that we had and what’s transpired in the last two weeks led up to Mr. Anderson as being the source,” Block said. “We were absolutely thrilled that he came on your show and said that he wasn’t, because Mr. Cain always had the utmost respect for him.”
Pressed whether he was specifically withdrawing his claim that Anderson, who worked on Cain’s 2004 Senate run, used information from his time with the GOP candidate to plant the Politico story, Block said he was — for now, at least.
“Until we have all the facts, I’m going to say we accept what Mr. Anderson has said and we want to move on with the campaign.”
Block said he wasn’t done, however, with his theory that the Perry campaign handed the story to Politico, a charge the campaign has denied. He said he was still suspicious after a pollster in Oklahoma, Chris Wilson, who’s firm has done work for a Super PAC supporting Perry, has come forward to claim he personally witnessed Cain harass women at the National Restaurant Association. Block said that Wilson had offered “erroneous information.”
