(CNN) – Curt Anderson, a newly hired consultant with Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign, denied any involvement in the leaking of allegations that rival candidate Herman Cain was accused of sexual harassment in the 1990s.
"I didn't know anything about this, so it's hard to leak something you don't know anything about," Anderson said Thursday on CNN's "American Morning." "I didn't know anything about this, I didn't leak it."
Anderson previously worked on Cain's unsuccessful 2004 U.S. Senate campaign in Georgia and the Cain campaign blamed him Wednesday for leaking the story.
Cain, a former pizza executive, told Forbes he alerted Anderson to one of the alleged incidents during that Senate campaign, a claim Anderson denies.
"Those charges were baseless, but I thought he needed to know about them," Cain said. "I don't recall anyone else being in the room when I told him."
But Anderson said Cain's presidential campaign is "floundering," and placing blame on him is a "diversionary strategy."
"They're grasping at straws," Anderson told CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger. "They figured it's a good diversionary strategy to take him out of the limelight to say someone else did it."
"I'm disappointed he tried to use me as a pawn to try to get out of this mess he's in, but I'm not going to use that to discolor everything I know about the guy," Anderson added.
The Perry campaign also claimed it did not know about the allegations until POLITICO first published the story Sunday.
"No one at our campaign was involved in this story in any way," Perry campaign communications director Ray Sullivan said. "Any claim to the contrary is patently false."
From CNN Politics
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Please let Herm run...................the pres
"Who's next? Who's going to be the next flavor of the week?"
We already know BHO was Flavor of the year and now no one is buying it.!
Who cares who leaked the story? This is a campaign, and that's what people do when they are running against each other. Apparently a lot of people knew about Mr. Cain's female problem. Is it better that it comes out now or in the general election when he is on the GOP ticket?
Earth to Herman: You should have told the truth upfront. We're done with your bumbling explanations.
"I" didn't leak the story – true perhaps, someone else in Perry's camp did. How come he doesn't say "WE" didn't leak the story.
It's hard to imagine it wasn't one of the other GOP candidates. After all, the story came out in a conservative publication, Politico.
Don't you love how the Republicans cannibalize one another. You would think there is no way Obama could win with the mess the country's in, but this is an example of how Obama probably WILL win.
For us it really isn't as important to figure out who leaked the story as much as it is to find out if it's true.
This was leaked from someone on the right. You can't blame the liberal media for this one. Democrats would love to see Cain the nominee.
My gut tells me this is the work of the evil emperor, Karl Rove. He knows that Cain doesn't have a chance in hell to beat Obama, so he's eliminating this sorry group of morons one by one. I guess Romney is the lesser of all the evils.
Cain's inept handling of a real situation that he was a direct party to is all we need to know to realize he is totally unsuited for any public office. Whoever leaked it doesn't matter, but thank you for this simple test of leadership given to Cain. He failed.
Holy cow! Reading he CNN News list – Cain accuses Perry, Perry aid denies, Perry, I wasn't drunk – reads like the keystone cops. Good lord, Sarah Palin would appear coherent at this point!
So we're supposed to believe that a "political consultant" is not trying to dig up dirt on other candidates? Or if he finds any, he's just going to sit on it? What is he being paid for? Republicans are so used to lying about everything that they don't even make an effort to sound convincing.
John- I love that people from the party that gave us Bush, and now maybe Perry call a President who has 10 years teaching Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago, has actually written his three books, and a Lawyer's degree plus an academic degree, a fool. Republicans seem to be lucky if their candidates don't drool on themselves, and can speak English in complete sentances.
Cain is toast !
Perry will do anything to be president !
ANYTHING !
What difference does it make who leaked it? Cain committed at least two illegal acts. He's the one who is guilty here, not the guy who ratted him out.
I wouldn't put it past Perry to drag out some smut. After all his numbers are going down and Cains are going up. Dirty politics all the way around. We shouldn't be surprised..I haven't seen a politician yet that can fight a clean battle. All I care about is if the candidate can turn this country around for the better.
The GOP released the info because they don't want Cain getting in Mitt's way. Really, who didn't see this coming? Dave, Romney buys up companies, fires the workers, and moves the jobs overseas to make the company profitable for its stockholders. Not what I'm looking for this year, thanks.
WAIT!!!!! So Herman Cain felt the need to let this guy know about the allegations, but then he could barely remember them when it all came out from Politico? This guy is backpedalling quicker than ever. It doesn't matter where Politico got the story.....You either did it or you didn't! And I haven't heard a firm denial. I have heard him change his story about 6 times (so far) Herman Cain needs to speak to the NRA, get the "agreement" nullified and release the details of the agreement. This man will never be president. If you can't even own up to your past mistakes, you will just be another Bush.
It appears that Cain is in this race as a sheild for Romney. Think about it. He endorsed Romney in 2008 and spends a lot of time lashing out at Perry and Paul. Like Romney, he is a big government "conservative" who supported the TARP bailouts and wants to continue the endless state of war around the world. He is trying to lose momentum by flip flopping and making ridculous statements, but his dumb followers are too clueless to let him go. What new way will the Cain camp come up with to shoot himself in the foot? You didn't actually think Cain was in it to win it did you?
I doubt Perry's camp did it. And even if they did...so what....it doesn't change whats behind the leak, Cain should be more worried about that.
Not sure why the subject is "who leaked." If there were several payoffs to several complainants, the information was out there ready to be uncovered anyway. The real story is "are the accusations true." And that appears to be a matter of record.
What difference does it make who, if anyone, "leaked" this story? What is important is that these allegations have been made; and possibly covered-up. The voters have a right to know who they are voting for. That Cain is somehow "blaming" another campaign for revealing relevant information about his own actions and background only raises more questions about Cain's candidacy.
Seems like Cain is obsessed in finding who leaked the info. Who cares? There are many that witnessed at least one of the confrontations and it was bound to be made public sooner or later. What should be of some concern is if Cain does become president, is this how he'll run our government... like a dictator?
For someone who had no recollection of these incidents, Mr. Cain sure remembers specifics about that alleged 7 year old conversation. Hmmmmm!!
Cain: First pizza. Now toast.