A Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday called on Rep. John Conyers to resign in response to accusations he made unwanted sexual advances toward female staffers.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said Democrats “cannot pick and choose” who to hold accountable based on party affiliation, and that Conyers’ accusers are credible.
“It is not easy for me to reach this conclusion because, as a civil rights activist, I have looked up to Rep. Conyers for decades,” Jayapal said in a statement. “I believe these women, I see the pattern and there is only one conclusion – Mr. Conyers must resign.”
Jayapal called the new flurry of accusations a “watershed moment” meant to create a zero-tolerance environment for harassment.
“No one ever wants to believe that someone they respect and have regarded as a champion for civil rights issues would abuse their power to harm and harass women,” she said. “On top of that, sexism colors everything. Women just aren’t generally believed. Period. Even more complicated is that sexual harassment is extremely difficult to prove in any court of law. That means that efforts to stop harassment must recognize that there will be gray areas. Women will come forward and men will deny. The question is: What is society’s response? To truly change norms and cultures, we need to start believing women from the get-go.”
Last week, Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., became the first House Democrat to say Conyers should resign his seat.
Conyers, 88, has served in Congress since 1966 and has for more than 20 years held the position of top Democrat on the judiciary panel. He stepped down from the role this week but remains in office.
