Democrats call for Conyers’ exit
They hold back in sexual misconduct censure for Franken
WASHINGTON — As allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful lawmakers roil Congress, House Democrats on Thursday delivered their strongest rebuke yet with calls for the resignation of Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, while those in the Senate reserved judgment for their embattled colleague, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi characterized the multiple accusations against the 88-year-old Conyers, which included repeated propositions for sex and retaliation against one former aide who rebuffed his advances, as “serious, disappointing and very credible.”
Meanwhile, ousted Today show host Matt Lauer apologized for sexual misconduct allegations against him.
In no uncertain terms, the top Democrat in the House declared that “Congressman Conyers should resign,” a call echoed by other Democratic leaders.
Conyers’ lawyer, Arnold Reed, swiftly rejected the request as the lawmaker professes his innocence. “Nancy Pelosi did not elect the congressman, and she sure as hell won’t be the one to tell the congressman to leave. That decision will be completely up to the congressman,” Reed said.
Reed raised the specter of a double standard as House Democrats pressed for Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House and a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, to step aside while few have called for Franken to relinquish his seat.
“At the end of the day, I would suspect that Nancy Pelosi is going to have to explain what is the … difference between Al Franken and Congressman Conyers,” Reed said.
Punishment has been swift for titans of entertainment, media and sports. Accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior and harassment have led to immediate firings. Not so in Congress, where lawmakers have said ethics panels should have time to investigate and have been reluctant to reverse the will of the voters.
Yet the clamor was growing, with some House Democrats arguing that if Conyers goes, so should Franken. That demand was made hours after Franken faced a new allegation: An Army veteran accused him of groping her during a United Service Organizations Christmas tour in the Middle East more than a decade ago.
Stephanie Kemplin, 41, of Maineville, Ohio, told CNN that Franken had cupped her right breast when she stood next to him for a photo in December 2003. Kemplin, who was deployed to Kuwait at the time, became the fifth woman in two weeks to accuse Franken of sexual misconduct.
The Senate Ethics Committee announced Thursday that it had opened a preliminary investigation into the allegations against Franken, who has apologized and said he welcomes the inquiry. A spokesman released a statement Thursday saying that Franken “takes thousands of photos and has met tens of thousands of people and he has never intentionally engaged in this kind of conduct.”
Pelosi’s comments came after she faced harsh criticism for calling Conyers an “icon” who has “done a great deal to protect women” during an appearance Sunday on Meet the Press.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., who was the first House member to publicly opine that Conyers should quit, said she left a Democratic Caucus meeting Wednesday out of frustration that leadership wasn’t taking the issue of sexual harassment seriously enough.
But by Thursday the highest-ranking members of the party had upped the ante from simply backing an ethics investigation and emphasizing the importance of due process for those accused to calling for Conyers’ resignation.
“Zero tolerance means consequences — for everyone. No matter how great the legacy, it’s not license to harass or discriminate,” Pelosi said.
Rice and Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, have called for Conyers and Franken to quit.
“These are credible allegations, and I believe these women,” Ryan wrote in a Tweet on Thursday. “Congress should set the example for all industries and be a safe place for women to work.”
In a different sex case, Rep. Joe Barton, a 17-term Republican from Texas who announced earlier this month that he was seeking re-election, decided Thursday that he won’t, a week after a nude photo of him appeared on social media.
Although his House colleagues didn’t call for his resignation or suggest he not run again, Barton faced increasing political pressure in his home state to step aside. Earlier this week, a Republican announced that he’d run against Barton in next year’s primary.
“Obviously you know I’ve been in a little bit of a controversy,” Barton said Thursday. “I just felt it was time to pass the torch.”
In the Today show case, Lauer was fired late Tuesday after an NBC employee detailed what NBC News chief Andrew Lack described as Lauer’s “inappropriate sexual behavior” that began at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Two other women stepped forward Wednesday with complaints, with one telling The New York Times that Lauer had sexually assaulted her in his office in 2001. A Variety magazine investigation outlined a pattern of alleged salacious behavior, including three women who said Lauer harassed them.
Lauer’s first public response to his firing was read Thursday on Today by his former co-host, Savannah Guthrie. In his statement issued by his public relations team, he expressed “sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused.”
“Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed,” Lauer wrote. “I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.”
“There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions,” Lauer wrote. “To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC.”
The statement concluded: “Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul-searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job.”