Another US lawmaker accused of sexual harassment: report

WASHINGTON: Powerful Democratic lawmaker John Conyers, the longest-serving US congressman, settled a wrongful dismissal complaint after a former staffer said she was sacked because she would “not succumb to (his) sexual advances,” according to BuzzFeed News.
The 88-year-old representative from Detroit, a prominent civil rights activist, is the latest public figure to be accused of sexual harassment in an ever-widening scandal following the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein last month.
In addition to the 2015 settlement worth just over $27,000, BuzzFeed said it had also obtained notarized affidavits from other staff members accusing Conyers of making repeated sexual advances, caressing their hands and rubbing their legs and backs in public.
The employee who was fired said on one occasion, the congressman asked her to work from his hotel room and began talking about his sexual desire, urging her to touch his penis.
Conyers did not admit liability as part of his settlement, which came about as part of a process that BuzzFeed described as secretive and designed to make victims feel they had no choice but to accept what was on offer.
His office has not responded to confirm or deny the settlement to AFP.
Two other staffers meanwhile alleged in their 2014 testimony that Conyers used congressional resources to fly in women they believed he was having affairs with.