Rep. John Conyers: "I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations."
Second update, 2:29 p.m. Tuesday: Now, let's make up our mind here. First, the Associated Press reports today that Congressman John Conyers denies settling a wrongful dismissal complaint with a staffer who alleged that he fired her after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
Then Conyers issues a statement Tuesday afternoon confirming a financial settlement with the former staffer who accused him of sexual harassment, but says he did not admit fault, The Washington Post writes.
"I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so," Conyers says. "My office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation. That should not be lost in the narrative."
First update, 12:35 p.m. Tuesday:- U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. denies a report by BuzzFeed News that he settled a wrongful dismissal complaint with a staffer who claimed she was fired after refusing his sexual advances, the Associated Press reports.
Conyers tells AP he hasn’t settled any sexual harassment complaints with any staff member..
The veteran congressman says he knows nothing about any claims of inappropriate touching and learned of the story just hours earlier. "I've been looking at these things with amazement," he tells the wire service.
House Speaker Paul Ryan calls the original report "extremely troubling."
Original article, Monday night:
A former staffer for Michigan's most senior Congressman, John Conyers, claims she settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015. She allegied Conyers fired her because she refused to acquiesce to his sexual advances, BuzzFeed reports:
Documents from the complaint obtained by BuzzFeed News include four signed affidavits, three of which are notarized, from former staff members who allege that Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, repeatedly made sexual advances to female staff that included requests for sexual favors, contacting and transporting other women with whom they believed Conyers was having affairs, caressing their hands sexually, and rubbing their legs and backs in public.
Four people involved with the case verified the documents are authentic.
The woman who settled with Conyers ended up entering into a confidential agreement in exchange for a $27,111 settlement. Her payment came from Conyers’ office budget rather than the designated fund for congressional settlements, Paul McLeod and Lissandra Villa write.
The settlement documents reveal the secret mechanism by which Congress has kept sexual harassment allegations secret: It's a grinding, closely held process that left the alleged victim feeling she had no option other than to stay quiet and accept the money.
The news site adds:
Last week the Washington Post reported that the office paid out $17 million for 264 settlements with federal employees over 20 years for various violations, including sexual harassment. The Conyers documents, however, give a glimpse into the inner workings of the Office of Compliance, which has for decades concealed episodes of sexual abuse by powerful political figures
Conyers did not admit fault as part of the settlement. His office declined comment.
The news site withholds the woman's name because she fears retribution.
