Michigan Rep. John Conyers Jr. on Tuesday “vehemently” denied any wrongdoing related to a sexual harassment complaint secretly settled by his office as the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation.
“My office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation,” said Mr. Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and the longest-serving current member of the House.
In a BuzzFeed News report on Monday night, several former female staffers accused the Michigan Democrat of repeatedly making sexual advances toward them.
The report also said Mr. Conyers settled a wrongful dismissal complaint with a former staffer in 2015 for more than $27,000. The staffer claimed she was fired because she would not “succumb to [his] sexual advances.”
Ethics Committee Chairwoman Susan W. Brooks, Indiana Republican, and ranking Democrat Theodore E. Deutch of Florida said in a joint statement that the panel will look at sexual harassment complaints and whether Mr. Conyers “discriminated against certain staff on the basis of age, and used official resources for impermissible personal purposes.”
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan called reports about Mr. Conyers’ settlement “extremely troubling.”
Jenny Beth Martin, chairman of the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, called on Mr. Conyers to “resign immediately.”
“Using taxpayer funds to silence alleged victims of sexual abuse by Members of Congress is completely unacceptable,” Ms. Martin said in a statement. “Rep. Conyers was enabled by this process to stand for re-election in 2016 without his constituents’ knowledge of the claims against him or the settlement made with the alleged victim. He should resign from office immediately, and Congress should provide answers to the American people about which Members of Congress have benefited from taxpayer-funded settlements in response to allegations of sexual misconduct.”
BuzzFeed said it received the documents from right-wing activist Mike Cernovich but had independently confirmed their authenticity. Mr. Cernovich said he gave the documents to BuzzFeed News because Democrats would “try to discredit the story by attacking the messenger” if he published them himself.
Mr. Cernovich also is an author and attorney who promoted a conspiracy theory about Democrats running a child-sex slavery ring from the basement of a Washington pizza restaurant.
Mr. Conyers is the second powerful Democratic lawmaker to be accused of sexual misconduct this month.
Leeann Tweeden, a local radio news anchor in California and a former model, published a photograph last week of Sen. Al Franken appearing to grope her breasts while she was sleeping during a USO tour. She also said Mr. Franken forcibly kissed her while they were preparing for a comedy sketch.
Days later, another woman, Lindsay Menz, accused the Minnesota Democrat of grabbing her buttocks while they were taking a picture together at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010, two years after he was elected to the Senate.
Lawmakers have called for an ethics investigation into Mr. Franken’s conduct.
The government has paid more than $17 million in taxpayer money over the last 20 years to resolve claims of sexual harassment, overtime pay disputes and other workplace violations filed by employees of Congress.
The Office of Compliance released the numbers amid a wave of revelations of sexual misconduct in the worlds of entertainment, business and politics that made its way to Capitol Hill last week.
On Tuesday CBS News fired Charlie Rose after several women accused the veteran newsman of sexual misconduct. PBS also ended its partnership with Mr. Rose, host of its long-running interview show.
The 75-year-old Mr. Rose has interviewed newsmakers in the media, entertainment, business and politics weeknights on PBS’ schedule since 1991. PBS had suspended his show late Monday after The Washington Post published an article about women who said he groped them and walked around naked in front of them.
While PBS has distributed the program, it is produced by a company owned by Mr. Rose.
Mr. Rose has been one of three hosts of “CBS This Morning” since 2012 and is also a contributor to “60 Minutes.”
Mr. Rose’s co-hosts on the morning show, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, were sharply critical of their colleague on Tuesday. Ms. King said the allegations did not fit the Mr. Rose she knew, but said, “I’m clearly on the side of the women who have been very hurt and damaged by this.”
Ms. O’Donnell says it’s a time of reckoning for women. She said, “This has to end.”
In Hollywood, Pixar co-founder and Walt Disney Animation chief John Lasseter on Tuesday announced he is taking a six-month leave of absence citing “missteps” with employees.
The boisterous, Hawaiian shirt-wearing personality behind some of the most beloved children’s films of the past 30 years, such as “Toy Story,” is the latest entertainment titan to be exposed for claims of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct in the workplace, including a reported “unwanted advance” toward actress and writer Rashida Jones, who had been working on the script for “Toy Story 4.”
⦁ This story is based in part on wire service dispatches.
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