A second woman has accused Rep. John Conyers of unwanted sexual advances, The Detroit News reported Tuesday.
Deanna Maher, a former deputy chief of staff for the congressman who worked in his office between 1997 and 2005, said Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat, approached her three times.
She said the first instance was soon after she was hired when Mr. Conyers forced her to share his hotel room after an event she attended with him. The other incidents, she said, included unwanted touching in a car and an attempt to put his hand up her skirt, the paper reported.
Mr. Conyer’s attorney questioned why Ms. Maher would continue to work for the congressman if she was being harassed — a line of questioning that Ms. Maher, like several other women in the various harassment complaints across other industries, scoffed at.
“I needed to earn a living, and I was 57. How many people are going to hire you at that age?” she explained.
Earlier this month, another report surfaced that Mr. Conyer’s had paid a settlement to a former staffer who claimed she was sexually harassed. The report also alleged that he used taxpayer dollars to fund the settlement.
Mr. Conyer’s announced Sunday that he planned to step aside as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee until an ethics probe looks into the allegations.
