Conyers resigns under pressure

DETROIT – Facing a rising chorus of voices demanding he step down because of sexual harassment claims, U.S. Rep. John Conyers retired Tuesday from the seat he has held for more than five decades.

It was a swift and crushing fall from grace for a civil rights icon and the longest-serving active member of Congress.

The Michigan Democrat said he would endorse his son, John Conyers III, to replace him in Congress in a special election to be called by the governor.

As for the accusations against him, Conyers said, “They’re not accurate, they’re not true and they’re something I can’t explain where they came from.”

Conyers will probably receive a yearly pension of about $139,200 — compared with his current pay of $174,000 a year. Between a congressional package and Social Security, Conyers could make more than $230,000 a year, but for rules limiting pension to no more than 80 percent of current pay.

In addition, Conyers will be able to maintain health insurance coverage through exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act — as other members of Congress do — with the federal government picking up about 72 percent of the cost.

Conyers, 88, made his decision to quit Congress two weeks after an article on BuzzFeed.com detailed a secret settlement of more than $27,000 with a former staffer who accused him of making sexual advances toward her and paying her out of funds from his taxpayersupported office.

Within days, several other women had come forward with accusations against Conyers, who, despite his denials that he harassed anyone, saw House leaders and members of his own party abandon him, with three of the four Democrats in the Michigan delegation last Thursday calling for him to resign.