One of Herman Cain‘s friends, Niger Innis, says the Republican candidate is a victim of “character assassins” motivated in part by stereotypes of black men as “hypersexual.”

Cain addressed the accusations of Sharon Bialek at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, saying he didn’t recognize Bialek’s name, face or voice. Cain said he had never harassed anyone, ever, and that his campaign for the White House would go on. Innis told CNN’s Erin Burnett he would urge Cain to sue Bialek for defamation of character.