Herman Cain: Accusations of Sexual Harassment are 'Totally False'

GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain acknowledged Monday that he had been accused of sexual harassment while head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

But Cain said he was "falsely accused" and branded the allegations reported in a Politico story over the weekend "totally baseless and totally false."

Politico, citing unnamed sources, said a cash settlement was made to two women, who had reportedly signed an agreement to stay quiet about the matter.

"If the NRA did a settlement, I was not aware of it. I hope it wasn't for much. If there was [a settlement], it was handled by other officers at the association," Cain told Fox News.

The Georgia businessman said he had been "aware of the false allegations" and said he had been cleared of wrongdoing by a subsequent NRA investigation.

Assessing the impact on his campaign, Cain said, "Obviously, some people are going to be turned off by the cloud some people want to put over this campaign."

But, he reiterated, "I have never sexually harassed anyone."

Cain is scheduled to appear at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Monday afternoon, and Sunshine State News will provide coverage.