U. S. Rep. John Conyers said he will step down as top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee during an ethics probe of sexual harassment allegations.
U. S. Rep. John Conyers said Sunday he will step down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee during a congressional ethics probe of sexual harassment allegations against him and a settlement with a former staffer.
“After careful consideration and in light of the attention drawn by recent allegations made against me, I have notified the Democratic Leader of my request to step aside as Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee during the investigation of these matters,” Conyers, D-Detroit, said in a statement issued by his office
Accusations against Conyers first surfaced Nov. 20 when Buzzfeed News reported on a 2015 settlement he reached with a former staffer. On Tuesday, the site reported on a sexual harassment lawsuit a former staffer withdrew after a federal judge refused her request to seal the records to protect the congressman’s public reputation.
“I deny these allegations, many of which were raised by documents reportedly paid for by a partisan alt-right blogger,” Conyers said in a release on Sunday. “I very much look forward to vindicating myself and my family before the House Committee on Ethics.”
The House Ethics Committee is investigating Conyers after receiving allegations of sexual harassment and age discrimination involving staff members as well as using “official resources for impermissible personal purposes.”
Conyers says he will fully cooperate.
“To be clear, I would like very much to remain as Ranking Member. There is still much work to be done on core concerns like securing civil rights, enacting meaningful criminal justice reform, and protecting access to the ballot box. These challenges could not be more pressing in the face of an Administration that cares little for the rule of law and a President whose actions and conduct cheapens our discourse every day.”
The Rev. Horace Sheffield III, who ran against Conyers in 2014, said the move “might be the beginning of his end.”
“I don’t know how he can serve as embroiled as he is,” said Sheffield, pastor of New Destiny Christian Fellowship. “However, a person needs to be given due process. Here’s a man that spent much of his life working for others, it would be a shame for this to be his epilogue.”
Also on Sunday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi defended Conyers as an “icon” for women’s rights and declined to say whether the longtime Democratic lawmaker should resign over allegations that he sexually harassed female staff members. She insisted that he will do the “right thing.”
“We are strengthened by due process,” Pelosi said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” ‘’Just because somebody is accused — was it one accusation, is it two?… He’s done a great deal to protect women.”
Still, calling the allegations against Conyers a “big distraction,” Pelosi said there may be a close review of the 88-year-old’s status as the top member on the House Judiciary Committee, given its role in reviewing U. S. laws addressing sexual misconduct.
“This is about going forward,” Pelosi said. “We also have to address it for every person, every workplace in the country, not just in the Congress of the United States. And that’s very important. And a good deal of that would be done by the Judiciary Committee, and I know that John would take that into consideration.”
Asked to specify her position, Pelosi said, “I’m not sharing that with you right now.”
srahal@detroitnews.com
