Rep. John Conyers denies harassing female employee as ethics probe opens

Todd Spangler | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Representative Conyers settled complaint over sexual misconduct The longest-serving current House member, Democratic Representative John Conyers of Michigan is the latest of powerful men in politics, the media and entertainment to be accused of sexual misconduct.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, on Tuesday denied a BuzzFeed report stating he sexually harassed an employee who received a settlement of more than $27,000 in 2015 from his office funds, even as the House Ethics Committee announced it had opened an investigation into the allegation.

The bombshell accusation was leveled at Conyers late Monday, as Buzzfeed also reported that it had affidavits filed by three other former employees who said they saw the longest-serving active member of Congress and civil rights legend repeatedly make sexual overtures to female staffers, requesting sexual favors and touching them.

It represented what could be the most serious threat ever to the 88-year-old Conyers' storied career as fellow members of Congress and his own party called for an ethics investigation, which Conyers said he would cooperate with.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the House Ethics Committee issued a statement saying it was aware of allegations not only that Conyers may have engaged in sexual harassment but also age discrimination and misuse of government resources and would investigate. It did not detail any basis for the additional allegations, though they may stem from the same complaint and reports that the settlement was paid through taxpayer funds set aside for his office use.

["... the mere making of an allegation does not mean it is true": Read Conyers' full statement here.]

The Free Press also learned Tuesday that another former staff employee of Conyers' hired in 2015 initiated a lawsuit against him in federal court in Washington, D.C. this year alleging harassment, saying he made "sexual advances in the form of inappropriate comments and touches."

The staffer dropped the lawsuit almost immediately, however, after a judge refused to seal the case — which she had asked the court to do to protect someone known for his "tireless civil rights work," saying it was not her intent to "irreparably harm" Conyers. The Free Press is not naming the woman at this time because of the sensitivity of the initial claim and the fact that the lawsuit was dropped.

Earlier in the day, Conyers, after initially telling the Associated Press he knew nothing about the accusations leveled at him in the Buzzfeed story, put out a statement saying he wasn't denying that there was a settlement, but that "my office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation. That should not be lost in the narrative."

Conyers said he "expressly and vehemently" denies the accusations, however, saying the settlement "was not for millions of dollars, but rather for an amount that equated to a reasonable severance payment." He said he couldn't discuss it because of confidentiality requirements.

Normally, once a sexual harassment settlement is reached any monetary payment is made through a special account set up in the U.S. Treasury, not a member's individual office account. But Conyers' office denied the settlement was for that purpose since he expressly denied that the claims were true.

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It wasn't immediately clear whether Conyers in his statement was denying the other accusations made in the affidavits or only the central claim made by the former employee.

"I have long been and continue to be a fierce advocate for equality in the workplace and I fully support the rights of employees who believe they have been harassed or discriminated against to assert claims against their employers," Conyers said. "(But) it is important to recognize that the mere making of an allegation does not mean it is true. The process must be fair to both the employee and the accused."

The accusations against Conyers came as the political, media and entertainment worlds have been rocked by accusations of powerful, influential men sexually harassing others.

Last week, with an effort under way to make the handling of sexual harassment claims in Congress more transparent, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said she was sexually harassed decades ago by a senator who made unwelcome advances and a "prominent historical" figure who was not in Congress who groped her, not naming either. U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, also accepted the resignation of her chief of staff after women accused him of harassment — which he denied.

On Monday, new accusations were raised against CBS news anchor Charlie Rose and U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.

Speaking of the allegations against Conyers, Dingell on Tuesday called them "deeply disturbing" and called for a "transparent, fair and thorough investigation" by the Ethics Committee. She also called for action on legislation to change how claims are handled to prohibit nondisclosure agreements, saying, "Everyone deserves to work in an environment that is free from harassment and hostility."

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York — the second ranking Democrat behind Conyers on the House Judiciary Committee — called the allegations "extremely serious and deeply troubling," adding that there "can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct alleged."

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The Michigan Democratic Party also called for an investigation, noting that the report also pointed to "other troubling allegations of misconduct, including the potential misuse of congressional resources."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called the report involving Conyers "extremely troubling" and noted that he has already directed the House Administration Committee to review policies on workplace harassment and discrimination.

While there was no immediate call for Conyers to resign, it appeared clear that, as with Franken, the allegations were not going to fade quickly and could lead others to push for his departure.

The Congressional Black Caucus — of which Conyers is a founding member — called the allegations "very serious and disturbing." Through its chairman, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., the caucus said, "We encourage and expect Mr. Conyers to cooperate fully with any and all investigations into this matter."

Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said she was unaware of the secret settlement but echoed calls for an ethics investigation.

Buzzfeed's report on Conyers cited not only the affidavits but its own interview with the former staffer who filed the wrongful dismissal complaint in 2014 alleging she was fired for rebuffing Conyers' repeated sexual advances.

In her initial complaint to the congressional Office of Compliance, the former staffer said Conyers — who has been in the U.S. House since 1965 — asked her for sexual favors and to join him in his hotel room on several occasions. Buzzfeed also said the secret complaint said on one occasion he told her she needed to either touch his penis or find him a woman who could meet his sexual needs.

A former male staffer of Conyers' who spoke to the Free Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity said the accusations ring true to his experience in the office.

“He would rub women’s legs, he’s a flirt," the staffer said. "He wasn’t short of women admirers."

In other incidents reported by Buzzfeed, the woman accused Conyers of making her work nights, evenings and holidays to keep him company and insisted she stay in his hotel room when they traveled together for a fund-raising event.

“Rep. Conyers strongly postulated that the performing of personal service or favors would be looked upon favorably and lead to salary increases or promotions,” the former employee said in the documents.

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An unsigned copy of the settlement agreement, posted with the Buzzfeed story but believed to be representative of the final agreement, included a payment of $27,111.75 to the former employee and a provision that required her confidentiality in accordance with law. It also said that Conyers' office "expressly denies" her allegations.

The claim apparently was ultimately settled with Conyers' congressional office paying her for not working through what the settlement termed a "severance period." It appears the Office of Compliance signed off on the settlement as well, with the agreement noting that the employee dismissed the claim against Conyers in return for the deal.

The employee told Buzzfeed she felt as though she had no choice but to accept the settlement considering a congressional process that involves months of waiting, counseling and mediation and the signing of the confidentiality agreement before a claim can move forward.

No record of any such settlements is ever made public. Even the House speaker's office is not notified.

“I was basically blackballed. There was nowhere I could go,” the former employee told Buzzfeed in a phone interview. The news website kept her name anonymous at her request and because she said she fears retribution.

Buzzfeed said it was first provided the documents by Mike Cernovich, whom the website described as a "men's rights figure turned pro-Trump media activist who propagated a number of false conspiracy theories including the 'Pizzagate' conspiracy." Buzzfeed said it independently confirmed the authenticity of the documents with people involved.

In the affidavits filed in support of the claim, the other former employees said they either experienced or saw Conyers rubbing female staffers' backs or legs in public and heard him make sexual comments. One woman said she was offered a position on staff after Conyers made sexual advances toward her and rubbed his hand in a way that seemed to her inappropriate.

At least one staffer also said they were often asked to bring women to Conyers' apartment.

BREAKING: Longtime Michigan Rep. John Conyers denies sexual harassment settlements, says he knows nothing of claims. — The Associated Press (@AP) November 21, 2017

When the Free Press visited Conyers' home in the Detroit Golf Club community on Tuesday morning, no one came to the door despite three cars being in the driveway, including a Chevrolet Equinox with a yellow congressional sign in the window.

Nancy Turner, a 74-year-old neighbor of Conyers who has known him for decades, was stunned by the allegation, saying, "I've only known Mr. Conyers to be a kind, respectable man."

Ed Sarpolus, a Michigan political consultant who was Conyers' campaign manager in 2012 and worked for his 2014 campaign, said no one should expect the allegations to end his career.

“He has faced greater obstacles and has been challenged before. He’ll reach out to the community and see how they feel,” Sarpolus said. “I don’t see him giving up because of stories about his life.”

Conyers is the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, which handles criminal matters and oversees the Department of Justice. A former chairman of that committee, he is in his 27th two-year term in office and has widely been expected to run for a 28th next year.

He is widely seen as a legendary civil rights figure, having marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and having employed Rosa Parks after she left Alabama for Detroit. A longtime proponent of reparations to African Americans for slavery, he also was instrumental in securing a federal holiday for King.

The report is not the first time Conyers has been accused of unethical conduct, however.

As recently as this summer, the U.S. House Ethics Committee confirmed it was continuing to look at whether he had wrongly paid his former chief of staff more than $50,000 for time she didn't work. Conyers said he was only paying her for accrued leave time and severance as part of a separation agreement reached after she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property unrelated to her job.

In 2003, the Free Press reported on complaints from six unnamed Conyers aides who said they were forced to work on various campaigns, including a failed legislative campaign for Conyers' wife, Monica, on government time. A follow-up Ethics Committee report, however, focused on allegations that the congressman used staff to babysit his sons, help his wife with her law studies and chauffeur him to private events. Conyers' office denied the accusations and eventually reached a deal to ensure staff knew where their responsibilities began and ended.

Much of the attention on Conyers in recent years has also been because of Monica Conyers, a former Detroit City Council member who spent three years in federal prison for taking bribes, with her husband remaining largely silent during her legal troubles.

More than 30 years his junior, the Conyerses — who met when she worked for him as a campaign photographer and were married in 1990 — filed for divorce in 2015 only to reconcile a year later with a renewal of vows.

Contact Todd Spangler: 703-854-8947 or tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler. Staff writers Kathleen Gray and Tresa Baldas contributed to this report.