One of the U.S. Republican presidential candidates, Herman Cain, is denying a report about sexual harassment allegations in the 1990s.

The news website Politico.com is reporting Cain was accused by two women of sexually inappropriate behavior while serving as head of the National Restaurant Association.

The report says the women were given five-figure financial settlements as part of a sealed separation agreement with the association that bars them from speaking about it. Neither of the women was identified in the story.

Cain said he has never sexually harassed anyone. Cain says while he was falsely accused of sexual harassment while at the National Restaurant Association, the charges were found to baseless.

He says he was unaware of a settlement with his accusers.

Earlier, Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon called the report an unsubstantiated personal attack.

Cain spoke Monday at the National Press Club in Washington,following an appearance at the American Enterprise Institute where he discussed his “9-9-9” tax reform plan.

Cain is a businessman who has been leading recent polls of Republican candidates who hope to oppose President Barack Obama in next year's presidential election.