NOVEMBER 8, 2011, 5:53 PM ET
Second Cain Accuser Comes Forward
By Jonathan Weisman
Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain’s second public accuser, Karen Kraushaar, has a powerful defender with a big megaphone: Maria Cardona, a Democrat and one of the most prominent lobbyists in Washington.
Ms. Cardona, the former communications director for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, hired Ms. Kraushaar after she left the National Restaurant Association, which had been headed by Mr. Cain. Last week, after reporters started contacting her about an unnamed accuser, Ms. Cardona reached out to Ms. Kraushaar to discuss it, promising to keep her name confidential.
On Monday, when Sharon Bialek went public as the first woman to put a face behind harassment allegations against Mr. Cain, Ms. Cardona and Ms. Kraushaar spoke again.
“She said to me, You know Maria, I’ve always been grateful to you for hiring me and now you know why: because you saved me from that monster,” Ms. Cardona said Tuesday in an interview with Washington Wire.
Ms. Cardona said she was going public to protect the reputation of her former colleague at the INS after seeing the attacks Ms. Bialek is already weathering. From her perch as a CNN commentator and frequent guest on other news shows, Ms. Cardona will have plenty of opportunities to speak out.
“As a former employer, I can tell you her credibility is beyond reproach,” she said.
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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/11/08/second-cain-accuser-comes-forward/