Michigan Rep. John Conyers will step down from his post as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after multiple women came forward with sexual harassment allegations against the longtime lawmaker.
“After careful consideration and in light of the attention drawn by recent allegations made against me, I have notified the Democratic leader of my request to step aside as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee during the investigation of these matters,” Conyers said in a statement Sunday.
But Conyers continued to deny the allegations against him and said he would like to return as Judiciary Committee ranking member after the House Ethics Committee completes an investigation.
“I deny these allegations, many of which were raised by documents reportedly paid for by a partisan alt-right blogger,” Conyers said.
“I very much looking forward to vindicating myself and my family before the House Committee on Ethics.”
“To be clear, I would like very much to remain as ranking member,” Conyers added, citing the civil rights and criminal justice reform agenda he still hopes to pursue. “But I have come to believe that my presence as ranking member would not serve these efforts while the ethics committee investigation is pending.”
Conyers also thanked colleagues who said he deserved due process after the accusations were made public.
“I am grateful to my colleagues who have called for due process before weighing judgement. I would urge them to continue to do so for any member accused of wrongdoing. Basic fairness requires no less,” he said.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., will succeed Conyers in the role. Nadler was one of the first Democratic lawmakers to call for an ethics committee investigation into Conyers following the Buzzfeed report on a settlement with between Conyers’ office and a former staffer who reported sexual harassment.
“Even under these unfortunate circumstances, the important work of the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee must move forward. Ranking Member Conyers has a 50-year legacy of advancing the cause of justice, and my job moving forward is to continue that critical work,” Nadler said in a statement.
Conyers’ decision came after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi earlier Sunday refused to say if Conyers should resign from Congress or be stripped of his status on the Judiciary Committee.
“John Conyers is an icon in our country,” Pelosi said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “He’s done a great deal to protect women in the Violence Against Women Act, which the right wing is now quoting me as praising him for his work on that. He will do the right thing in terms of what he knows about his situation. He is entitled to due process and the women are entitled to due process as well. I believe he understands what is at stake here and he will do the right thing.”
Pelosi also erroneously said none of Conyers’ accusers have come forward when asked by host Chuck Todd if she believes the women.
“Do you believe John Conyers’ accusers?” Todd asked.
“I don’t know who they are. Do you? They have not really come forward,” she answered.
Washington attorney Melanie Sloan told the Washington Post Conyers verbally abused her and was sexually inappropriate during her time working for him. He once showed up for a meeting with her in his underwear, she said.
But Pelosi struck a different tone after Conyers later said he would step aside from his Judiciary Committee post.
“Zero tolerance means consequences,” Pelosi said in a statement. “I have asked for an ethics investigation, and as that investigation continues, [Conyers] has agreed to step aside as ranking member. No matter how great an individual’s legacy, it is not a license for harassment.”
