Cain tweaks 9-9-9 tax plan to allow exemptions

Video: Is Cain running for president to sell books?

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   >>> according to the latest nbc news/" wall street journal " poll, herman cain leads the gop field, but is he really aiming for the oval office or something else? nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff takes a look. michael, good morning to you.

   >> reporter: good morning, matt. whether or not he wins the republican nomination, herman cain may still come out a big winner by running for president. as he shakes up the republican primary race, herman cain is facing new questions about whether he is profiting from his own campaign. filings made public this week showed that cain 's campaign committee has used $100,000 collected from donors to pay cain 's own company for thousands of these booklets written and self-published by cain . that means profits for cain himself and could run afoul of campaign laws, say watchdog groups.

   >> the company is going to benefit, and when the company benefits, herman cain is going to benefit. this has every appearance that herman cain is running for president largely to sell books and enrich his own company.

   >> reporter: federal rules prohibit a candidate from using campaign funds for personal benefit, but cain 's aides say the payments to his company are allowed and were vetted by a campaign lawyer. cain himself dismisses the perception that he's running to make a profit.

   >> if they know herman cain , they wouldn't even make such an assertion. how's that for political directness?

   >> reporter: but the payments have fueled criticism, even among some republicans, that cain is using the presidential race to promote a post-campaign career as a highly paid writer and speaker that could take off much the way sarah palin 's did. the company that got the payments is called the new voice. cain is the sole owner. on its website, the new voice sells books, pamphlets and dvds that chart cain 's career as ceo of godfather's pizza and motivational speaker .

   >> i had achieved what i had hoped for all my life!

   >> reporter: "businessweek" reported that cain has earned $250,000 this year continuing to give motivational speeches . and just two weeks ago, instead of campaigning in iowa and new hampshire, cain was on a book tour for his new book, "this is herman cain " published by simon & shuster ," debuting this week at number five on "the new york times" best-seller list.

   >> i can promote a book and campaign at the same time.

   >> reporter: cain certainly isn't the first presidential candidate to write a book while running for office. and so far, his strategy has been working. he sits atop of most polls, but he still only has a skeletal campaign staff and reportedly hasn't even gotten on the ballot in some primary states, making his bid for the presidency still very much an uphill race. matt?

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