California Rep. Jackie Speier stopped short of calling for Democratic Rep. John Conyers to resign after news broke that his office settled a sexual harassment case and other women accused him of sexual misconduct.
Speier, a Democrat, said on ABC’s “This Week” it’s a question for the House Ethics Committee to decide.
“I think that the allegations are very serious. And that’s why the ethics committee needs to move very swiftly,” she said. “Not wait years. But, very swiftly. Staff up, if necessary, to determine whether or not those allegations are accurate. If they’re accurate, I do believe congressman Conyers should step down.”
When asked if she thinks the allegations are accurate — that Conyers sought sexual favors from staffers, inappropriately touched female staffers, flew in women he was believed to be having sexual affairs with using taxpayer money, and other sexual harassment allegations — Speier said, “I don’t think we know.”
“That’s why the ethics committee needs to be brought in. We are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This is not a court of law. This is the court of public opinion. I do think they’re very serious,” she said.
Speier has been on the forefront of a push to modernize sexual harassment policies in Congress and is working on a bill with Virginia Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock that would do just that.
She said Sunday the sexual harassment policies need to be changed quickly because the process, as currently set up, aims to silence victims rather than find justice for them.
“It’s convoluted. I think it was a system set up in 1995 to protect the harasser. This is not a victim-friendly process,” she said.
