Politico co-founder Roger Simon on Thursday warned that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain might be sorry if he sued the publication over recent reporting about sexual harassment allegations against the candidate. Appearing on Fox News earlier this week, conservative business mogul Donald Trump had suggested that Cain should bring lawsuits against against his accusers if they tried to speak out.
“I think Herman should take very, very strong action, even if he has to bring a major lawsuit against the women,” Trump told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren.
In fact, a lawyer for one of the women has asked the National Restaurant Association to release his client from the confidentiality agreement that bars her from disclosing details of the alleged harassment.
“I suspect they will not release her,” Simon told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell Thursday. “I really wish these women would speak up. … If they did speak out, who’s going to sue them? Is the National Restaurant Association really going to sue them? Is Herman Cain really going to sue them? Does Herman Cain want to be deposed and swear under oath all those things he has said on television and radio? I doubt that very much.”
One unnamed Cain aide suggested to The Washington Post Thursday that Politico may even be the target of a lawsuit for reporting on the allegations.
“Roger, how worried is Politico?” O’Donnell asked. “Donald Trump, the senior adviser to the Cain campaign — senior legal adviser — has advised them to maybe sue Politico for doing what you’ve done here in this case.”
“Well, that would reflect on Mr. Trump’s ability to give advice,” Simon remarked. “I’m not going to speak about lawsuits in Politico, obviously, but we all know that in America anybody can sue anybody, and anybody who does sue has to expect to undergo a lot of rough discovery and depositions. And most people find it an unpleasant experience, especially if the suit is frivolous.”
O’Donnell has called for a boycott of the restaurant chains that fund the National Restaurant Association if the organization refuses to release the women from their confidentiality agreements.
