Congressman faces sex harassment claims

JOHN CONYERS, the longest-serving member of Congress, is to step down from the House Judiciary Committee, after being embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment.

Mr Conyers, 88, is to recuse himself from the Committee while it conducts an ethics investigation into the allegations which involve a former member of his staff.

His decision comes against a backdrop of growing concern about sexual harassment on Capitol Hill which, according to some reports, has been endemic for years.

Last month the Washington Post reported that Congress has paid out more than $15million to settle cases of alleged discrimination and harassment.

Mr Conyers, a Democrat who en- tered the House of Representatives in 1965 and is a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, has been under mounting pressure since details emerged of the complaint, which was made by the former staffer in 2015.

Although he paid $30,000 to settle the complaint, Mr Conyers has denied any wrongdoing and insisted the payment was not an admission of liability.