Representative John Conyers faced new internal pressures Friday as a fellow senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus called on him to relinquish his top spot on the House Judiciary Committee and a home-state Democrat brought up disciplinary action.
‘No one is exempt from bad behavior,’ said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, who is serving his tenth term in Congress.
Conyers this week ‘vehemently’ denied the accusations of a woman who got a $27,000 settlement payment after she lost her job and accused the senior lawmaker of sexual harassment.
A second woman filed a lawsuit that she later withdrew charging that Conyers repeatedly touched her and invited her to his home when she was his scheduler – and repeatedly touched her ‘against her wishes’ while at a White House jazz celebration last year.
POWERFUL POSITION: Rep. John Conyers is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, a status he is being asked to relinquish pending a sexual harassment probe at the House Ethics Committee
In another clear sign of intensifying pressure, fellow Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell – whose husband John Dingell was the previous ‘dean’ of the House – said if the allegations prove true ‘The House is going to have to take appropriate action.’
That was a reference to censure or reprimand, two tools that the House can vote. The measures are rare and can be career ending.
‘I find it very, very, very, deeply disturbing,’ Dingell told CNN. ‘If these things are proven to be true we need to act.’
Meeks told CNN that Conyers – an initial founder of the black caucus – should step down from his committee leadership post during an Ethics Committee probe.
Should Democrats retake the House in 2018, the 88-year-old Michigan representative would chair the committee that would consider any impeachment charges against President Trump.
‘No one is exempt from bad behavior, and I think that he’s agreed and I clearly see where Leader (Nancy) Pelosi has said there will be an immediate ethics committee, a review,” Meeks told CNN Friday.
“I really think that probably the appropriate thing right now is that he should step down as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee and be subject to this ethics investigation.”
In doing so, Conyers would be following a precedent followed by fellow CBC member Charles Rangel, who was forced to give up his top spot on Ways and Means during a prolonged ethics probe of his finances and taxes.
SENDING A MESSAGE: Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Wednesday that his colleague Rep. John Conyers of Michigan should leave his post as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee pending a probe
Adding to the presure, Rep. Raul Grijalva, a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told C-Span: ‘As agonizing as it might be for all of us, the ranking member needs to step down at the minimum.’
Meeks was himself investigated by the Ethics panel for failing to disclose a $40,000 loan from a businessman that had no documentation, but the panel ultimately dropped the matter when the handshake lender wouldn’t cooperate.
His comment on national cable television sent a clear signal that fellow Democrats are not inclined to provide cover to the senior-most Democrat, with control of the House in play in 2018.
Meeks’ homestate colleague Rep. Jarold Nadler, the Number Two Democrat on Judiciary who could succeed Conyers, issued an early call for an Ethics probe of the accusations.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also called for an Ethics probe.
A statement Tuesday from CBC chair Rep. Cedrick Richmond of Louisiana carried the vague headline: ‘CBC Chairman on Sexual Harassment, Assault Allegations Made Against Members of Congress.’
‘No one is exempt from bad behavior,’ said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, who serves in the Congressional Black Caucus Conyers helped found
But the statement said: ‘The CBC has been made aware of some very serious and disturbing allegations against our colleague John Conyers, as well as his statement emphatically denying these allegations. We encourage and expect Mr. Conyers to cooperate fully with any and all investigations into this matter.
Conyers ‘vehemently’ denies the accusations of a woman who got a $27,000 settlement payment after she lost her job and accused the senior lawmaker of sexual harassment.
Michigan Representative John Conyers settled a $27,000 complaint in 2015 from a woman who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual, according to Buzzfeed News
Unlike several recent powerful men who have issued mea culpa statements in recent days after being confronted with statements by accusers, Conyers, the 88-year-old senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called for ‘due process.’
He says he made the settlement payment – which he called ‘severance’ came from his taxpayer-funded office budget – to avoid ‘protracted litigation.’
‘In this case, I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so. My office resolved the allegations – with an express denial of liability – in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation,’ Conyers said in a statement.
‘The resolution was not for millions of dollars, but rather for an amount that equated to a reasonable severance payment,’ according to the Conyers statement.
‘As I have said before, any credible allegation of sexual harassment must be investigated by the Ethics Committee,’ Pelosi said in a statement from San Francisco.
One staffer claimed that Conyers used ‘Congressional resources’ to fly in women that he was having affairs with into Washington DC
‘As Members of Congress, we each have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the House of Representatives and to ensure a climate of dignity and respect, with zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, bullying or abuse,’ she said.
Pelosi did not mention Conyers’ status as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which has constitutional investigatory powers over such matters as impeachment.
Later Tuesday, the House Ethics Committee announced it had opened an investigation into the matter.
Conyers issued the defiant statement after an explosive report that his congressional office paid off a woman in 2015 who had made complaints.
The printed statement by Conyers came after the lawmaker responded to the Associated Press when a reporter knocked on his door that ‘I have been looking at these things in amazement.’
Conyers pledged in his statement to ‘fully cooperate with an investigation.’
He also defended his work on behalf of equality.
He cited ‘statutory requirements of confidentiality’ that prevented him from saying more.
‘I have long been and continue to be a fierce advocate for equality in the workplace and I fully support the rights of employees who believe they have been harassed or discriminated against to assert claims against their employers,’ Conyers said.
‘That said, it is important to recognize that the mere making of an allegation does not mean it is true. The process must be fair to both the employee and the accused. The current media environment is bringing a much-needed focus to the important issue of preventing harassment in workplaces across the country.’
‘However, equally important to keep in mind in this particular moment is the principle of due process and that those accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until an investigation establishes otherwise.’
Conyers said: ‘In our country, we strive to honor this fundamental principle that all are entitled to due process. In this case, I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so.’
Conyers, 88, the longest serving member of the House, made his denial after BuzzFeed reported the woman was paid $27,000 from Conyers’ taxpayer-funded congressional office allowance.
The woman’s complaint charges that Conyers repeatedly asked her for sex. In one particularly serious charge, she claims that Conyers asked her to work out of his hotel room, when the Michigan congressman began talking about his sexual desires, according to the report.
She says Conyers then told her to ‘touch it’ – meaning his penis – or find him a woman who would meet his sexual demands, according to Buzzfeed.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has also commented on the matter, calling the report ‘extremely troubling’ in a statement.
Congress is away for Thanksgiving. The statement did not mention Conyers by name, but Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong confirmed it was directed at him.
The website reported that Conyers’ office paid the woman over $27,000 to settle the complaint under a confidentiality agreement, after filing a complaint in 2014.
BuzzFeed also published affidavits from former staff members who said they had witnessed Conyers touching female staffers inappropriately – rubbing their legs and backs – or requesting sexual favors.
The latest report puts pressure on House minority leader Nancy Pelosi of California to deal with the situation.
In addition to being the longest serving member in the Chamber, Conyers is the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. As such, he would oversee investigations of President Trump should Democrats retake the House in 2018.
Pelosi said Monday she was unaware of the settlement by Conyers. ‘The current process includes the signing of non-disclosure agreements by the parties involved,’ Pelosi said in her own statement.
‘Congresswoman Jackie Speier has introduced legislation that will provide much-needed transparency on these agreements and make other critical reforms. I strongly support her efforts,’ Pelosi added.
Conyers was born in 1929 and first elected to the House in 1964. He is also the longest serving African American member of the House and a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus.
As he noted during attorney general Jeff Sessions appearance before the Judiciary Committee last week while reading from a prepared statement, Conyers participated in the the panel’s probe of President Richard Nixon.
His wife, Monica Conyers, filed for divorce in 2014, the year of the complaint, the Detroit Free Press reported in 2015. She had previously served time in a federal prison for bribery.
It was also a tumultuous year for Conyers reelection, after 400 of 1,000 ballot petitions were found to be from people with an incorrect address or people who weren’t registered voters. A federal judge ultimately let him on the ballot.
California Democrat Zoe Lofgren called for the House Ethics Committee to take up the matter.
‘The reports about Congressman Conyers are as serious as they get,’ Lofgren said in a statement, Politico reported. ‘The Committee on Ethics should take up this matter immediately with a goal of promptly assessing the validity of the news account. This reported behavior cannot be tolerated in the House of Representatives or anywhere else.’
The 88-year-old Conyers is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and the longest-serving current member of the House
Rep. Jerold Nadler of New York, the second most senior Democrat on Judiciary, called the allegations ‘extremely serious and deeply troubling,’ while calling for them to be investigated ‘promptly’ by Ethics.
One former staffer said one of her duties was ‘to keep a list of women that I assumed he was having affairs with and call them at his request and, if necessary, have them flown in using Congressional resources.’
BuzzFeed said it received the documents from right-wing activist Mike Cernovich, but independently confirmed their authenticity. Cernovich said he gave the documents to BuzzFeed News because Democrats would ‘try to discredit the story by attacking the messenger’ if he published them himself.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said Monday she was unaware of the settlement by Conyers. ‘The current process includes the signing of non-disclosure agreements by the parties involved,’ Pelosi said in a statement
The 88-year-old Conyers is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and the longest-serving current member of the House. Calls to Conyers and his office seeking comment were not immediately returned Monday night.
The government has paid more than $17 million in taxpayer money over the last 20 years to resolve claims of sexual harassment, overtime pay disputes and other workplace violations filed by employees of Congress.
The Office of Compliance released the numbers amid a wave of revelations of sexual misconduct in the worlds of entertainment, business and politics that made its way to Capitol Hill last week.
Two female lawmakers described incidents of sexual harassment, one in explicit detail, and Minnesota Sen. Al Franken apologized to a woman who said he forcibly kissed her and groped her during a 2006 USO tour.
In another alleged incident, Conyers made repeated attempts to touch his office aide on the way to and during a White House cultural event meant to honor ‘America’s most significant artistic contribution to the world’ – jazz music – according to court documents, it was revealed Wednesday.
Conyers is accused by a former aide of repeatedly touching her and inviting her to his home on the day he visited the White House for an event. He was photographed at the event with the woman, who DailyMail.com is not naming
Video footage reviewed by DailyMail.com shows Conyers smiling and clapping during a glamorous gathering last year celebrating the nation’s cultural heritage while seated seated next to a female guest.
But according to a claim filed by his former D.C. scheduler, she was experiencing extreme discomfort that evening due to his repeated attempts to touch her and get her to go to his Washington, D.C., home after the program.
According to a federal court filing by the former aide, the married Conyers repeatedly tried to touch, message, and corner the plaintiff.
Conyers made five attempts on a single day in 2016 to ‘coerce’ her to come to his home, according to her legal filing, which was later withdrawn.