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Martin Bashir: Herman Cain Should Resign From His Church Over Affair Allegations (VIDEO)

Martin Bashir

First Posted: 12/03/11 10:38 AM ET Updated: 12/03/11 01:59 PM ET

MSNBC host Martin Bashir called on Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to resign from his church over his alleged 13-year affair with an Atlanta woman.

Bashir has not minced words about Cain on previous occasions, and he continued that pattern on his Friday show. He mentioned that Cain is set to make a major announcement on Saturday --one that many suspect will herald the end of his presidential campaign. (UPDATE: Cain ultimately announced that he was suspending his campaign.) But he said that it wasn't enough for Cain to leave the race.

"Isn't it time he also considered resigning his position as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta?" he said. "...If Herman Cain is proven to be lying, and drops out of the race, doesn't that also disqualify him from holding a position in the local church?"

In an ultra-harsh assessment of Cain's behavior, Bashir quoted from the "statement of faith" from Cain's church: "nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on Earth but his own determined depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel."

"If Mr. Cain withdraws from politics, then he must surely resign his position in the Church because one thing's for certain, hypocrites can lie in the pew but should never lead from the pulpit," Bashir concluded.

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Herman Cain's accusers:

Karen Kraushaar
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On Oct. 31 Politico broke the news that two women had filed sexual harassment claims against Herman Cain when he ran the National Restaurant Association 20 years ago. At the time the story was published the women wished to remain anonymous, but one, Karen Kraushaar, came forward on Nov. 8, the day after a third woman, Sharon Bialek, held a press conference alleging she was sexually harassed by Cain.

Kraushaar, a Treasury Department spokeswoman, was an employee at the National Restaurant Association during the time Cain was head of the group. She did not discuss the details of the claim, but her attorney described the story Bialek told as familiar. "I'm not authorized to give specifics, but the conduct is similar and it's corroborating evidence for the complaint my client filed." Kraushaar received a settlement of about $45,000.

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MSNBC host Martin Bashir called on Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to resign from his church over his alleged 13-year affair with an Atlanta woman. Bashir has not minced words about C...
MSNBC host Martin Bashir called on Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to resign from his church over his alleged 13-year affair with an Atlanta woman. Bashir has not minced words about C...
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06:48 PM on 12/09/2011
How about a bit about Corzine, or Holder (lying to Congress), or Blago (14years)? Imagine if Chaney took over a an investment company and lost a billion plus! Have you erased them all from your little minds? Shades of the USSR.......
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Brian Gannon
09:42 AM on 12/06/2011
Zing!
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euromarkusx
Political Party: Lobster
01:43 AM on 12/06/2011
Cain is a creep.

But, Martin Bashir is even creepier
04:37 AM on 12/06/2011
Why is Martin creepier? Dare explaining?
10:53 PM on 12/05/2011
Brassier is at it again. At least he goes to church. Although I'm inclined to agree with you.
04:38 AM on 12/06/2011
Martin is absolutely right. Cain should resign his church position
04:59 PM on 12/06/2011
I'll let his church decide that.
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Vapula
Failure is not an option
10:24 PM on 12/05/2011
Bashir has no morals so anything he says is irrelevant if he is commenting on that. He is a Murdoch type gutter snipe.
12:41 PM on 12/06/2011
Bashir's morals notwithstanding, he is not the one who is a lay minister. It is reasonable for members of a church to hold their minister to a higher standard. For example, to tell the truth if/when obviously caught in dishonest behavior. etc. etc.
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LibelFreeZone
06:59 PM on 12/09/2011
Well, Pubic, if the allegations are true, you're probably right. But they haven't been proven.
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SantaMonican
Visit the carousel, in the Hippodrome, on the pier
06:35 PM on 12/05/2011
Wow! Interesting posts here.
Ultra harsh?
He's an associate minister and he has campaigned that liberals were destroying marriage, as he carries on a secret 13 year extra marital affair.

Hypocracy is harsh. Resigning in disgrace from the ministry, for him, seems logical.
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shankapotomus
06:01 PM on 12/05/2011
i hought the others on MSNBC were haters until i saw him.
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June25
10:10 AM on 12/06/2011
And yet he is so boring it's hard to care.
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MrUniteUs
05:38 PM on 12/05/2011
Bashir is experiencing acute Cain withdrawl.
He should be all right in a few days.
03:33 PM on 12/05/2011
I wonder if Bashir asked Clinton to resign the presidency? Liberals are the most unprincipled group of individuals.
Shikamaru
Ding! Fries are Done.
03:57 PM on 12/05/2011
i'm going with your group...

www.republicanoffenders.com
06:31 PM on 12/05/2011
Clinton. Nuff said.
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steve11407
pending approval and won't be displayed until ...
07:33 PM on 12/05/2011
I'm sure a dim list would be just as lengthy. What a waste of time trying to claim one is higher up the food chain than the other. They both eat road ki ll.
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euromarkusx
Political Party: Lobster
01:48 AM on 12/06/2011
One party advertises themselves as the mighty "Moral Party", spouting their direct bat-phone line to God.

Yet, they get caught in gay scandles and cheating on their wives, time and time again.

So if you like hypocrites, that says a lot about you.
03:30 PM on 12/05/2011
Obviously Martin Bashir does not know a thing about Christianity, forgiveness and Jesus....just makes him look like another ill-informed liberal. Oh wait, he works for MSNBC and he is an ill-informed liberal. The church is the place Herman Cain needs to be and let God judge. Don't worry though we are judged as we judge. Martin Bashir, your time is coming. Hope the backyard is spotless.
05:42 PM on 12/05/2011
Obviously you didn't read Mr. Bashir's comments. He didn't say leave the church, he said resign as associate minister.
03:36 PM on 12/06/2011
mea culpa
glorifacus55
Stand for something, or fall for anything!
06:48 AM on 12/06/2011
We all sin and fall short of what God wants us to do and when we do, we must deal with the consequences. If Cain did what he is accused of he must step down, repent and heal. He can go back to the pulpit, if God calls him, after repenting but just going right back to the office of being a minister is not right and does not show humility.
03:00 PM on 12/05/2011
If he knew anything about Christianity, he'd know that it's about forgiveness. Calling on him to resign, rather than repent and work to be a better person is a slap in the face and evidence that he has no idea what he's talking about.
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Common Sense 11
Common sense---so rare it should be a super power
08:44 AM on 12/07/2011
And if you knew anything about Christianity, you'd also know it is about morals and responsibility.

If indeed Cain is guilty of these transgressions then he has a moral obligation to step down from a position of authority.

Or does that only apply to everyone else but him?

And people wonder why religion is widely scoffed at these days---it's kinda hard to listen to the words of what a painting should look like but see an entirely different picture being painted (an analogy).
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shyhon
Truth, Justice and the American Way
02:49 PM on 12/07/2011
Sorry, had to answer down here.
Each President will inherit the good and bad done by the preceeding President. The continual use of his predecessors (or more disingenuously, the decisions and legislation of the congress and senate) as a reason for ineffective governing several years into election is simply unacceptable, regardless of the President's party affiliation. Most Pres. inherit problems. I's their job to fix them.
Now, in regard to your question, "do I fight repub propaganda?" Not so much. And I will be glad to tell you why.
Not because I agree with lies or any misinformation. It is a matter of time management and desire.
I grew up in a "republican/conservative" family (if one must have labels) that worked in one of the most left-leaning industries in the world. I saw and experienced the prejudice, bigotry and hypocrisy perpetrated by those on the left toward anyone who was not a declared democrat, or even better radically left. People were fired, could not find work, because of their political beliefs. This was not supposition on my part. They were glad to tell you why you wouldn't find any more work.
I guess I have a crusader complex. And like most crusaders, I choose one area to concentrate on. I figure with the vehement hatred of most democrats toward republicans, they will certainly take care of any provable inaccuracies with as much enthusiasm as they do with the accusations and lies. .
02:35 PM on 12/05/2011
Mr Bashir,
I was against Herman Cain from the beginning but, wait a minute you don't resign from Church. You may elect to take another role in the Church but resign is a poor choice of words and personally I feel Mr Cain needs double his efforts in church.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Just walkin the dog here
So, just where is this micro-bio? This it?
11:04 AM on 12/06/2011
For goodness sake, you should actually read the WHOLE article AND understand it before you write something. All you did was show that you scanned it. No one said that Cain should resign from church, but that he should resign his position as associate pastor.
11:45 AM on 12/05/2011
Gotta love Martin Bashir.
11:11 AM on 12/05/2011
The following is a portion of letter from another website that states hypocrisy of this site and other MSM so well! I am not including writers's name:

Jennifer Flowers told the world, back in 1992, that she had carried on an 11 YEAR AFFAIR, with William Jefferson Blythe Clinton. She had TAPES. We heard the Tapes. He and his Mrs. had been Married for 12 Years, and this Democrat Presidential Nominee, had been SREWING AROUND on her, for 11 of them.

The Media SHRUGGED. 60 Minutes ran Interference for him. Bill Clinton became a Man we could all look up to. He had seen the light. The matter was over. The Woman, was just a SLUT.
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BannedFromCommenting
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12:05 PM on 12/05/2011
LOL are you kidding me??? The media raked Clinton daily!!! It got viewers!!! What a bunch of poppycock!!! She CLAIMED an 11 year affair, but hey she nicely made $500k from flapping her lips, and RECORDING conversations?? SHe had a plan all along!

Where is Gingrich?? Oh, geeze running for Prez having done exactly what ? OH screwing around on his wife dying of cancer! And yet the media just LET IT GO!!!
storeysound
Zippy the Patriot?
01:09 PM on 12/05/2011
If you're so outraged over Clinton's behavior, why not over Cain's? Or are you saying that because Clinton got away with it, Cain should too? Either way, it's not a very convincing argument.
04:34 PM on 12/05/2011
Never said I was a Cain supporter. I'm merely pointing out the enormous hypocrisy and bias of the MSM.
10:42 AM on 12/05/2011
Bravo!!! Bravo!!! Bravo!!!