Michigan lawmaker confirms complaint

House plans ethics probe against Conyers over sex-harassment allegations

DETROIT — Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., acknowledged Tuesday that his office settled a harassment complaint involving a former staff member but said he “vehemently” denies the allegations against him.

His office “resolved the allegations” … “for an amount that equated to a reasonable severance payment,” the 88-year-old of Detroit said in a statement.

The leaders of the House Ethics Committee said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that the panel was opening an investigation into the allegations, including whether Conyers used official resources for impermissible personal purposes.

Conyers said he would fully cooperate.

BuzzFeed reported that Conyers’ office paid a woman more than $27,000 under a confidentiality agreement to settle a complaint in 2015 that she was fired from his Washington staff because she rejected his sexual advances.

BuzzFeed also published affidavits from former staff members who said they had witnessed Conyers touching female staff members inappropriately — rubbing their legs and backs — or requesting sexual favors. One former staff member 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.”

When questioned at his home Tuesday morning by The Associated Press, Conyers denied settling any harassment complaint and other allegations of inappropriate touching of staff members.

In his statement about the settlement later Tuesday, Conyers said, “In this case, I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so. My office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation.”

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

“As Members of Congress, we each have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the House of Representatives and to ensure a climate of dignity and respect, with zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, bullying or abuse,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.

House Speaker Paul Ryan labeled the BuzzFeed report “extremely troubling.” Ryan, R-Wis., said the House is updating its policies for handling complaints of workplace harassment and discrimination, which have been criticized as too weak and cumbersome. His statement did not name Conyers, but Ryan spokesman AshLee Strong confirmed that it was directed at him.

BuzzFeed said it received the documents from rightwing activist Mike Cernovich but had 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.

Cernovich also is an author and attorney who promoted a conspiracy theory about Democrats running a child-sex slavery ring from the basement of a Washington pizza restaurant.

The government has paid more than $17 million in taxpayer money over the past 20 years to resolve claims of sexual harassment, overtime pay disputes and other workplace violations filed by employees of Congress.

The Office of Compliance released the numbers amid a wave of revelations of sexual misconduct in the worlds of entertainment, business and politics that made its way to Capitol Hill last week.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called on Congress to release the names of lawmakers who have settled sexual harassment claims.

“I do” think Congress should disclose settlements details, Trump told reporters Tuesday.

Trump on Tuesday also effectively backed Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican Senate candidate who has been accused by multiple women of improper sexual conduct when he was in his 30s and the women were teenagers.

“He totally denies it,” Trump said. “We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat.”

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