Outside the Beltway

Cain Campaign Backtracks On Claim That Perry Campaign Leaked Sex Harassment Story

Doug Mataconis · Thursday, November 3, 2011 · 6 comments

As Steven Taylor noted today, the Cain campaign had claimed that people close to the Perry campaign were behind the leaks to Politico that started the firestorm they find themselves in. About an hour ago, Cain’s “Chief Of Staff” Mark Block appeared on television and withdrew that claim:

BlOCK: All the evidence that we had and what’s transpired in the past two weeks led up to Mr. Anderson as being the source.

We were absolutely thrilled that he came on your show and said that it wasn’t, because Mr. Cain had always had the utmost respect for him.

I’m going to do the same thing that Mr. Anderson has done, and move on, talk about issues, and get off of this silliness, as he called it, and let’s get on with the campaign.

MEGYN KELLY: Do you stand down, then, from your accusation that the Perry campaign is behind what you’ve referred to as a smear?

BLOCK: I will stand behind [down] what we said yesterday, and was again, thrilled that Mr. Anderson said that it didn’t come from him.

KELLY: With apologies, I don’t mean to belabor the point, but I think I might be confused. Yesterday, you accused the Perry campaign and, in particular, Mr. Anderson who works for Perry, of being behind it.

And today you say what?

BLOCK: The things that we had been told yesterday — as an example, I think that you had also reported that a lawyer from one of the Super PACs supporting Perry had had some erroneous information on a radio station in Oklahoma — until we get all the facts, I’m just going to say that we accept what Mr. Anderson has said, and we want to move on with the campaign.

Clearly, these people are just making it up as they go along.