The longest-serving active member of the House, Rep. John Conyers, bristled at calls this week for him to resign amid allegations of sexual misconduct – bucking party leaders.
The standoff puts Democratic leadership in a precarious position. If Conyers – who is expected to announce a decision on his future soon – decides to ride out his remaining term, it leaves Democrats who think he should resign in a tough spot. There are steps they could take to punish the congressman, but it would draw the feud out for weeks, potentially months.
In the span of one week, Conyers has gone from ceding his post as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee to defiantly brushing off calls for him to resign by leaders. On Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t call on Conyers to resign, calling him a civil rights “icon” and alluding to the difficult position facing members in her caucus on how to handle their response to the allegations against a member who’s been respected for decades in Congress.
By Thursday, Pelosi was urging Conyers to resign.
And with her came the rest of House Democratic leadership and a number of rank-and-file members. Throughout the week, Pelosi applied pressure, meeting with one of Conyers’ accusers, and writing to the House Ethics Committee urging them to expedite their investigation. Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus met with Conyers to lay out the case for him to resign. But the CBC has refused to get ahead of the Michigan Democrat, standing by their assessment that it is ultimately Conyers’ decision to resign.
While the CBC hasn’t formally called on Conyers to resign, instead saying the ethics committee should swiftly investigate the allegations and Conyers should be allowed due process, one of their own broke from the group. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the highest ranking African-American in Congress and assistant Democratic leader, called on Conyers to step down along.
A number of Democrats have agonized over how to respond to the allegations against Conyers: Do they immediately call on him to resign, or condemn his actions but wait for the ethics committee to finish its investigation and give the senior House member, who has served as an inspiration to many of them, the space to step aside?
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a fellow Michigan Democrat, expressed how conflicted so many Democrats felt over the revelations about Conyers behavior.
“I got asked on a radio station, but this man has done good things,” Dingell said. “Well, that’s part of the problem: Good men have done good things, but at the same time have used their positions of power to assault women or to do things that aren’t okay.”
One Democratic lawmaker said the criticism directed at Pelosi for mentioning Conyers’ place in history was unfair, and thought she handled the situation as best she could.
The lawmaker said the Conyers allegations have been particularly tough for the Congressional Black Caucus to wrap their heads around. Many of the CBC members experienced segregation, discrimination, and witnessed lynchings and lived through a time when African Americans were not afforded attorneys or treated fairly by the judicial system, the House Democrat said.
“They actually saw that, and lived that, so for them for somebody to just be told to resign and not have to go through due process is very sensitive,” the House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation more freely. “I think if you’re white – I don’t care if you’re the most liberal person in the world – if you’re white, you’re not going to get that. You’re not going to get that because it’s not what you’ve lived through. You’ve lived through this is the American way, justice will prevail, you’ll get your day in court and so it’s easy if you’re white to [say], ‘no, he’s guilty, and he needs to leave.’”
After Pelosi urged Conyers to resign, the congressman’s lawyer held a press conference, saying Pelosi “sure as hell” won’t pressure Conyers into resigning. On Friday, Conyers’ lawyer held a second press conference, saying the congressman would decide in the coming days whether he’ll resign.
Just as leaders appeared to have a handle on their messaging concerning Conyers, new revelations concerning another House Democrat surfaced. A former campaign staffer came forward Friday evening accusing Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., of harassment. The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., immediately urged Kihuen to resign, but House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., did not.
“He told me that these allegations aren’t true,” Hoyer said in an emailed statement. “If they are found to be true, he should resign.”
Pelosi went a step further Friday, saying Kihuen should immediately step down.
“In light of these upsetting allegations, Congressman Kihuen should resign,” she said.
