Report Says Rep. John Conyers Settled Sex Complaint, Flew In Women For Affairs Using Congressional Resources

Representative John Conyers, serving Michigan and representing much of the city of Detroit as well as the suburbs of River Rouge, Wayne, Melvindale, Dearborn Heights, Westland and Romulus, is the longest serving member of the House and a civil rights icon.

According to a bombshell report from BuzzFeed, he also settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 with a former employee for more than $27,000. Conyers did not admit fault in the settlement.

Conyers asked the staffer for sexual favors and often asked her to join him in a hotel room.

“She alleges that Conyers asked her to work out of his room for the evening, but when she arrived the congressman started talking about his sexual desires. She alleged he then told her she need to “touch it,” in reference to his penis, or find him a woman who would meet his sexual demands.”

She said she was told many times by constituents that it was well-known that Conyers had sexual relationships with his staff, and said she and other female staffers felt this undermined their credibility.

He also had a staff member arrange for women to fly in for affairs using congressional resources, according to the report that BuzzFeed verified independently corroborating documents.

It’s an important report beyond Conyers as it goes into detail about the process in Congress for reporting harassment that basically amounts to enabling cover-ups.

The lurid details of multiple accounts are here. Conyers as of this writing hadn’t responded for comment to BuzzFeed.

UPDATE, 1:32 p.m.: Conyers office has released a statement. Read it in full here.