Is this the final nail in Herman's coffin? Cain admits he DID give cash to 'affair' woman... and his wife didn't know her

• Lawyer for Herman Cain demands to see cell phone records Ginger White says is proof of their 13-year affair
• 2012 presidential hopeful refused to reveal whether he will quit the race but 'a decision will be made over the next few days'
• Leaving decision to withdraw from race up to his wife
  
• Ms White says she received gifts and money from the Republican over the past few years
• Campaign manager says he won't quit race for the White House
  

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 06:57 EDT, 2 December 2011

Herman Cain's presidential campaign could be all but over after he dramatically revealed today he provided money for 'month-to-month bills and expenses' to the woman who claims she was his mistress for 13 years.

The embattled Republican candidate, facing his latest allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour, insists he and Ginger White remained only friends throughout their relationship.

But the former Godfather's Pizza CEO admitted his wife, Gloria, knew nothing of their relationship until Ms White came forward publicly on Monday about the alleged affair she says ended eight months ago.

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Back on the trail: Herman Cain was campaigning in New Hampshire today, meeting with the editorial board of the Manchester Union Leader newspaper

In an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader, Mr Cain said Ms White sent him about 70 text messages between October 22 and November 18 that led him to believe she was out of work and had financial troubles.

He said that he sent 17 text messages back to her, in which he responded with questions such as, 'What are you doing to get a job?'

'She was out of work and had trouble paying her bills and I had known her as a friend,' he said.

'I'm a soft-hearted person when it comes to that stuff. I have helped members of my church. I have helped members of my family.'

'And I know a lot of other people who had done the same thing, and sometimes, quite frankly, it was desperation,' he added.

Cain continued: 'My wife did not know about it, and that was the revelation. My wife found out about it when she went public with it.

'My wife now knows. My wife and I have talked about it and I have explained it to her. My wife understands that I'm a soft-hearted giving person.'

Cain would not discuss how much he gave Ms White. He said he believes someone offered her 'a lot of money' to make the claims.

But he did acknowledge again that withdrawing from the presidential race as a result of the allegations is an option.

Final say: Herman Cain's wife Gloria has supported her husband, but he said the accusations are taking an emotional toll on her. His decision on whether he will stay in the presidential race now hinges on what she says

'You will know by next week,' he said.

Experts warn Cain's standing in polls is cratering. Supporters are wavering if not fleeing. Fundraising is suffering, they say.

And, these days, the former pizza company executive is less a serious candidate than the butt of late-night comedy jokes after a string of accusations of sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Dave Welch, a Republican strategist who worked on both of John McCain's presidential bids, called his chance at winning the presidency 'effectively zero'.

And Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway said: "It's the daily dose of the wince-and-cringe factor that leaves people wondering what could be coming next,"

With his presidential bid hanging in the balance, Cain's team meanwhile is demanding that his latest accuser show them the cell phone records that she claims prove the two were carrying on an affair.

Appearing on CNN on Thursday night, Mr Cain's attorney, Lin Wood, declined to further elaborate on the 'private matters of Mr Cain', and called on critics to hold off on judgement until facts are presented.

'I came here to try to put what's happening in Herman Cain's life in perspective.

'I don't believe he's been treated fairly,' Mr Wood said.

'He's not obligated to come out and tell you the details of that and violate the privacy of people he's helped.'

Mr Wood sent a letter yesterday to a lawyer representing Ms White, asking that Cain's campaign be provided with a document showing calls and text messages between them.

Mr Wood said Cain wants those phone records, among other documents, so he can examine them for their authenticity and content.

Campaign in doubt: A presidential frontrunner just weeks ago, Cain says he'll decide in the next 'few days' whether to abandon his White House bid, but not before he meets with his wife Gloria tomorrow

Not without a fight: Herman Cain vowed during campaign stops in Ohio today that he will not be pushed out of the race by 'character assassination' by his critics

He told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 'Maintain common sense. Mr Cain was extremely busy in his campaign. He didn’t have time to send a lot of texts.'

In an interview with WAGA on Monday, White accused Cain of carrying on a 13-year affair that she said ended shortly before Cain ran for president.

As proof of the lengthy relationship, Ms White offered her cell phone, which has Cain's private number.

Ms White also showed mobile phone records dating back four months that have 61 phone calls and text messages to or from Cain as early as 4.26am and as late as 7.52pm.

'He made it very intriguing,' Ms White told the station. 'It was fun. It was something that took me away from my humdrum life at the time. And it was exciting.'

Cain has called the allegations 'completely false' and has labelled White as 'troubled' in a message to his supporters.

Meanwhile, Cain has said he will make a decision about whether to continue his White House bid over the next few days - and it all depends on what his wife says.

He said that the decision depends on how much more his wife Gloria, whom he hasn't seen since White has accuser surfaced, can bear.

A top-tier candidate just weeks ago, Cain says he'll decide in the next 'few days' whether to abandon his White House bid, but not before he meets his wife tomorrow.

'It has had a very damaging effect on her emotionally, because of the way some of the story has been presented,' he said of his wife of 43 years during an interview with Fox.

'She gets upset when she sees the implications and the distortions by some people in the media.'

The former businessman added he cannot be certain there will not be another allegation.

'I can’t sit here and say, after working in the business for 40 years, that someone else may not come up with another trumped-up charge,' he said. 'This is about bring down Herman Cain.'

The disclosure came after he ripped into his critics yesterday for their 'character assassination' during three campaign stops in Ohio.

Sticking to her story: Ginger White stood by her assertion in an interview on Wednesday - despite Cain's denials - calling the relationship an 'on and off' affair

Should I stay or should I go? Herman Cain says he needs to weigh up whether accusations that he had an extramarital relationship will create too much of a cloud in the minds of potential supporters

He said: 'They want you to believe that with enough character assassination on me that I will drop out.’

His comments drew a chorus of 'boos' and shouts of 'No' from the crowd.

He gave no indication to the audience that he was considering abandoning his bid despite telling staff that he would make a decision in the next few days about whether to continue it.

'We are reassessing as we speak. Reassessment means reevaluation,' Cain told reporters after a well-received speech to roughly 150 people in a hotel meeting room.

Cain received a standing ovation after he spoke about what a 'Cain administration' would do. And he said that while some people predicted that the room would be empty, 'I don't see any empty seats.'

'It's been a groundswell of positive support,' Cain insisted to reporters later, even as some backers in early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire who had stuck by him after decade-old allegations of sexual harassment surfaced several weeks ago now indicated they were abandoning him.

Also yesterday, the woman who claims she had a 'very casual affair' with Herman Cain insisted that their relationship was not 'sex for cash' - and said she does not believe the former Godfather's Pizza CEO is fit to be president.

Ginger White stood by her allegations of a 13-year relationship in a TV interview this morning, despite Cain's denials. She called the relationship an 'on and off' affair.

Ms White told ABC's Good Morning America that a letter sent by Cain to his fundraisers Tuesday night - in which he called the Atlanta woman 'troubled' - is 'very disappointing'.

Elaborating on her claims of an affair, White said: "This was not a consistent love affair that went on every day for the last 14 years. So he is correct when he made that statement.'

But Ms White also said Cain gave her gifts and money consistently over the last few years, although she claimed the relationship wasn't a matter of 'sex for cash.'

As far as providing further proof of her story, she said: ‘You really don't enter into something like that holding on to receipts, holding onto gifts or notes or anything like that.'

According to Ms White, she took several trips with Cain, even attending a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas.

When asked if she believes Cain should drop out of the race, Ms White said: 'That’s something that he has to look himself in the mirror and ask himself.

'I slept very well telling the truth. I'm not sure what's going on in his head right now but it’s unfortunate that any of this is going on.'

Meanwhile, Cain's campaign manager has dismissed reports the embattled presidential contender is planning to withdraw from the race.

The Republican businessman dramatically revealed to senior staffers Tuesday that he is 'reassessing' his campaign amid allegations of a 13-year extra-marital affair - the latest in a series of cheating accusations.

However, Cain’s campaign manager, Mark Block, said the word was meant to imply a 'strategic reassessment' and 'not a reassessment of withdrawing' from the race.

As ABC News reports, Mr Block said in an interview yesterday evening there is 'no way he's dropping out'.

Coming forward: Ms White, an Atlanta businesswoman, she was only coming forward because she was afraid someone would tell her story first

He began defending himself before the allegations even surfaced. He broke the news himself on CNN that Ms White would make claims against him.

Cain's lawyer said in a statement: 'This appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults - a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public.'

The statement, however, does not explicitly deny the affair.

In an interview with Fox 5 in Atlanta on Monday, Ms White said she was only coming forward because she was afraid someone would tell her story before she herself could.

'I'm not proud,' she said. 'I did not want to do this. I did not.'

Mr Cain has been accused of sexual harassment by four other women, two of whom have come forward publicly with their allegations.

However, to this point, the only accusations were about inappropriate advances or comments. Ms White is claiming that he cheated on his wife for more than a decade.

'It was pretty simple. It wasn't complicated,' she told the TV station. 'I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware I was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship.'

Mr Cain has been married to his wife Gloria since 1968. Both have vehemently denied allegations of sexual harassment.

And Mr Cain's denial of the new allegations were similarly complete.

'I just wanted to give you a heads up and your audience a heads up, "Here we go again,"' he told Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Situation Room.

The Georgia native said he knew Ms White as an 'acquaintance who I thought was a friend.'

He denied having an affair, instead saying he tried to help her with financial problems.

Cain also deflected criticism and said the allegations were part of an extended conspiracy to keep him out of office.

Ms White said the two met in Louisville, Kentucky, in the late 1990s when Mr Cain was the president of the National Restaurant Association.

That night, she says, Mr Cain took her out for drinks and then invited her up to his hotel room.
'I'd like to see you again. You are beautiful to me, and I would love for us to continue this friendship,' Ms White claims Mr Cain told her.

From then, he paid for her to fly to his speaking engagements across the country, where he put her up in fancy hotels and restaurants like the Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons.

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