The sexual misconduct accusations against Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., revealed a broken system on Capitol Hill that neglects victims and keeps taxpayers in the dark.
BuzzFeed News reported last week that a woman threatened to press charges against Conyers for wrongful termination after she refused his sexual advances. According to documents BuzzFeed obtained, the woman went to the U.S. Congress Office of Compliance, the closest thing Congress has to a human resources department, but never completed the complaint process. Conyers’ office then offered her a settlement of $27,111.75 from its own budget. The office rehired her as a temporary employee but directed her not to come into the office or do any work. She received the money over the course of three months and then the office removed her from the payroll.
Because of the obscure process, leaders in Congress didn’t even know the woman filed a complaint or that there was a settlement.
Conyers confirmed a settlement occurred but denied all accusations of sexual harassment.
“My office resolved the allegations—with an express denial of liability—in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation. That should not be lost in the narrative,” Conyers said in a statement, adding that he plans to fully cooperate with any investigation into his conduct.
Shortly after BuzzFeed published its report, Judicial Watch,…
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