And Now Cain's Campaign Chief Demands an Apology from the Perry Campaign (Updated)

Via NRO. Block proffers no real evidence that the Perry campaign had anything to do with leaking anything to Politico (or anyone else).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGvxCzoqh7g

“The actions of the Perry campaign are despicable,” Block told Fox News tonight. “Rick Perry and his campaign owe Herman Cain and his family an apology. Both the Rick Perry campaign and Politico did the wrong thing by reporting something that wasn’t true from anonymous sources. Like I said, they owe Herman Cain and his family an apology.”

Asked if he had any evidence, Block mentioned the fact that Cain had told Curt Anderson (who now works for Perry) about the accusations during his 2004 senate run. Cain accused Anderson earlier today; Anderson denied that he was.

Anderson has denied, to Politico, being the source for the Politico story. When confronted with that evidence, Block just keeps demanding that Perry apologize.

Block is a political veteran. He knows that everybody in politics has some connection to nearly everybody else in politics. None of that means anything, until it does, and Block hasn’t proved that it does.

I am seeking a response from the Perry campaign. If and when I get it, I’ll add it to the post. But for what it’s worth, the man Block is accusing has denied it in public. Perry’s spokesman, Ray Sullivan, has too. This looks, to me, like the Cain campaign’s attempt to push a damaging story off onto another campaign.

Update: Perry camp reiterates that it wasn’t them, suggests it came from the Romney camp. And they deny, too.

“That is false, patently untrue, no one at this campaign was involved in this story,” said Perry communications director Ray Sullivan.

Sullivan then suggested to CBS News and National Journal reporter Rebecca Kaplan that Mitt Romney’s campaign is behind the allegations.

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” he said, stating that blog posts have noted that Cain’s successor at the Restaurant Association “is a big Romney donor.”

“There are much closer connections between the Restaurant Association, Cain and the Romney camp than there are with us,” he said.

Federal Election Commission records show that Steven C. Anderson, who succeeded Cain as the Restaurant Association’s CEO, gave $1,000 to Romney’s campaign on July 14, Kaplan reports. He also gave a total of $1,000 to Cain in two $500 installments during Cain’s 2003-2004 Senate campaign.

In response to Sullivan’s comments, Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul offered two words to CBS News: “Not true.” She declined to elaborate.