Nearly two years after allegations of sexual harassment forced him to abandon his effort to win the Republican 2012 presidential nomination, Herman Cain has an explanation for what happened: The devil made those women do it.

In an interview with RealClearReligion, the former National Restaurant Association CEO said that the women behind the allegations were "liars" and that the media didn't do its "due diligence" when investigating the allegations.

"It made me realize that there was a force bigger than right," said Cain, who serves as an associate pastor at the Atlanta church he's belonged to since he was 10, referring to the devil.

Cain also said he chose to step down rather than fight the charges because "it would have been a huge distraction."

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(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)