Sharon Bialek on Wednesday denounced rumors she hugged Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain when she confronted him a month ago at a suburban Chicago Tea Party event.
She leaned in so Cain could hear her in the noisy room, she told NBCChicago, but there was no hugging involved.
"I grasped Mr. Cain's elbow, leaned into him and I said a few words because it was very loud," she said. "I leaned into him, so I had his attention. ... He looked at me and said, 'Of course, I remember you.' "
This comes a day after Cain publicly responded to Bialek's claims he harassed her 14 years ago outside the National Restaurant Association headquarters in Washington D.C. Cain on Tuesday pointed to his accuser's history of financial troubles and said he doesn't even know Bialek.
Bialek said Wednesday she was disappointed but not surprised by his remarks, and despite accusations, she maintains she didn't come forward with her story to make money.
"My life's an open book," she said. "If you know Sharon Bialek, what you see is what you get."
Bialek explained she filed bankruptcy once to help with family medical bills and a second time in a custody battle for her son. "Everyone has their financial problems, I have mine," she said. "I'm not perfect."
Bialek said she welcomes a joint meeting with the other women who have accused Cain of sexual harassment.
"I encourage the other women who haven't come forward to please do so," she said.
