Democratic Rep. Conyers Paid Thousands to Settle
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Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) settled a complaint in 2015 from a woman who alleged she was fired from his staff because she rejected his sexual advances, according to a new report from BuzzFeed.
Conyers‘ office reportedly paid the woman more than $27,000 to settle the complaint under a confidentiality agreement.
Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the 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," BuzzFeed reported, citing signed affidavits.
“I was basically blackballed. There was nowhere I could go,” the alleged victim told BuzzFeed in a phone interview.
Another former Conyers staffer said she was frustrated by the secretive complaint and settlement process.
“I don’t think any allegations should be buried ... and that’s for anyone, not just for this particular office, because it doesn’t really allow other people to see who these individuals are,” the former staffer said. “When you make private settlements, it doesn’t warn the next woman or the next person going into that situation.”
This comes amid a slew of sexual misconduct allegations against numerous figures in politics, entertainment and the media.
Watch the "Fox & Friends" report above.