The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:23 PM

Top Democrat On Capitol Hill John Conyers (R-NC) Hit With Bombshell Allegations Of Sexual Harrassment

Another sexual harassment bombshell is rocking Capitol Hill, after a report claimed powerful Democratic Rep. John Conyers settled a complaint with a former employee who claimed she was fired because she did not “succumb to [his] sexual advances.”

Michigan Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the longest-serving House member, reportedly settled the case in 2015 after allegedly making repeated sexual advances to female staff.

In documents obtained by BuzzFeed News, several former staff members reportedly accused Conyers of requesting sexual favors, rubbing their hands sexually and rubbing their legs and backs.

The central woman in the case reportedly believed she had no other option than to remain quiet and take the settlement.

“I was basically blackballed. There was nowhere I could go,” she told Buzzfeed News.

Her identity remains anonymous reportedly due to fears of retribution.

Conyers, 88, has served in the House for decades. He was active in the civil-rights movement and helped found the Congressional Black Caucus; he’s now the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Fox News has not independently confirmed the allegations, and Conyers' office did not respond to a request for comment.