ATLANTA (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain --
facing allegations of sexual harassment -- is defending a joke he
made about Anita Hill.

Cain said he was approached at a recent event by a supporter who
said Hill was trying to contact him.

Cain responded by asking whether Hill was going to endorse him.
Hill famously accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.

In an appearance Friday on Fox News Channel, Cain called the
supporter's comment "hilarious" and said his own reply was meant
to be funny.

Four women have said Cain sexually harassed them when he led the
National Restaurant Association more than a decade ago.

Some Cain backers have compared the Georgia businessman's
treatment to that of Thomas, another high profile black
conservative.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)