Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York is urging House Speaker Paul Ryan to release a woman who accused Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., of sexual harassment from a confidentiality agreement that prohibits her from speaking publicly about her allegations.
Rice sent a letter to Ryan, R-Wis., on Wednesday and asked him to intervene in the case, the details of which were made public by BuzzFeed last week.
“Under the settlement, the complainant was forced into a non-disclosure agreement and has been unable to openly discuss the workplace harassment and abuse she was subjected to, while Rep. Conyers and his attorney, Arnold Reed, have been free to make their case public,” Rice wrote.
“The accuser who attempted to seek help through a deeply flawed system should not continue to be silenced by the institution that failed to protect her in the first place,” she continued.
According to BuzzFeed, Conyers settled a wrongful dismissal complaint with a former female staffer in 2015. The woman had accused the Michigan Democrat of terminating her after she rejected his sexual advances and received a severance payment of $27,000.
Four other former staffers said in signed affidavits that Conyers, 88, had made unwanted sexual advances toward other female employees, inappropriately touched female staffers, asked for sexual favors, and had staff bring women to Washington, D.C., who they believe Conyers was having affairs with.
Since BuzzFeed reported the initial accusations against Conyers, the longest-serving member of Congress, two other women have come forward and accused the congressman of inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct.
One, Melanie Sloan, worked for Conyers as minority counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and said the Michigan Democrat harassed and verbally abused her.
Another, Deanna Maher, told the Detroit News Conyers made unwanted advances toward her and touched her inappropriately on three different occasions when she worked for him.
A third former female staffer filed a lawsuit against Conyers and alleged he sexually harassed her, but she withdrew the complaint after a court denied her request to keep it sealed.
Conyers has denied the allegations against him and pushed for due process, saying the accusations do not mean he is guilty.
The House Committee on Ethics is currently investigating the allegations of sexual misconduct against Conyers, and two House Democrats — Rice and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. — have called for Conyers to resign.
Conyers stepped down from his role as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week.
