Thursday, March 28, 2024

Rep. John Conyers Denies Paying Woman $27K to Cover Up Sexual Harassment Complaint

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) questions witnesses during a House Judiciary Committee hearing concerning the oversight of the U.S. refugee admissions program, on Capitol Hill, October 26, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) questions witnesses during a House Judiciary Committee hearing concerning the oversight of the U.S. refugee admissions program, on Capitol Hill, October 26, 2017 in Washington, DC.

*Veteran Michigan Rep. John Conyers on Tuesday denied settling a complaint in 2015 from a woman who said she was fired from his Washington staff because she rejected his sexual advances.

BuzzFeed News reported Monday that the office of Conyers, 88, paid the woman over $27,000 to settle the complaint under a confidentiality agreement.

The websit 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.

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.”

Responding to the allegations, Conyers told The Associated Press that he knows nothing about any claims of inappropriate touching and learned of the story from television just hours earlier.

“I have been looking at these things in amazement,” he said, referring to allegations of sexual harassment and assault being made against politicians and others.

House Speaker Paul Ryan labeled the report “extremely troubling.”

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.

Conyers is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and the longest-serving current member of the House, having arrived in 1965.

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