WASHINGTON — Herman Cain on Thursday skipped a scheduled interview with New Hampshire’s powerful Union Leader newspaper during a brief visit to the state.
The cancellation came just days after Cain struggled with a question about Libya during a videotaped interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. After the interview was released, Cain’s campaign contacted the Union Leader to say it would not allow C-SPAN cameras to be present for the session, as they had been for meetings with other candidates.
The campaign again contacted the paper to say that rather than the hour-long interview they had agreed to, Cain would be available for only 20 minutes. Cline said the paper told Cain’s campaign it was “not worth our time to do it for 20 minutes.”
The campaign promised to get back to the paper but never did.
Also Thursday, Cain became the first Republican presidential candidate to receive Secret Service protection, a spokesman for the agency said.
Cain asked for the security, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and congressional leaders approved his request Thursday, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said.
Denver Post wire services
