This afternoon a woman named Sharon Bialek came forward not to accuse Herman Cain of sexual harassment but of sexual assault. Bialek, a former employee at the National Restaurant Association, claims that in July 1997 Cain attempted to put his hand up her skirt and also attempted to force her head to his crotch while they were parked in a car in Washington, D.C. Bialek claimed the incident took place after she had dinner with Cain. She said she met Cain at the behest of her boyfriend in an effort to get her job back with the National Restaurant Association.

Gloria Allred, Bialek’s attorney who was at her side at the press conference in New York, quipped that it was Cain’s “idea of a stimulus package.”

So let me see if I get this straight. Bialek comes forward with a serious allegation (one she could have reported to the police) and Allred makes a joke out of it. It doesn’t exactly make Bialek’s allegations look credible. If Bialek is serious about her allegations she would fire Allred immediately.

It is worth noting that Joan Walsh of Salon wasn’t amused with Allred’s joke stating it “trivialized” Bialek’s allegations. “Very dumb,” tweeted Walsh.