Community Chat

[Oostende]

Allegations have surfaced that the Democrat Representative from Michigan used public funds to settle a claim of wrongful termination.  His alleged victim was a staffer who claims to have been fired because she resisted his sexual advances.  

Conyers denies the charges but I believe the House Ethics committee will investigate.  I also think he is one of the longest serving members in the House.

Does anybody have any thoughts or additional information?    

[Mom2Dogs]

I heard this on the news but it has not been verfied as far as I know.

I will be more than p!$$ed if MY tax dollars are being used for this type of payoff.

These accused men repulse me, if alligations are found to be true.

[Vivian]

We should withhold judgment on this one. The most significant issue here is the source of the report. Unlike so many other accusations on both sides of the political aisle, where      alleged victims hold a great deal of credibility, this one case may not be accurate. One thing we must all do is put politics aside and measure each accusation within the context of our moral and ethical values.

P.S. With more info. coming out, it looks like he may not be entirely innocent. Meanwhile, regardless of who did what, I resent that we taxpayers are paying for these silence deals that Congressmen are dipping into when they misbehave.

[deepwaterdotter]

"A fish rots from the head down" - Author Unknown

[hckynut]

@Oostende

Yes, I have thoughts. I believe a person is innocent until proven guilty. 

hckynut

[Drythe]

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@deepwaterdotter wrote:

"A fish rots from the head down" - Author Unknown

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@deepwaterdotter

A truism we seem willing to overlook.

[Oostende]

@hckynut  Me, too.

I think it ought to be relatively easy to uncover the truth in this particular case.  If public funds were used, there ought to be a paper trail.  

[Oostende]

I just read there are four signed affadavits from former staffers alleging sexual harrassment.  Three of the affadavits are notarized.

[Oznell]

These cozy congressional shenanigans have basically always gone on;  some have been known about for decades, and some have, through hook or by crook, avoided broad public exposure.

When outraged calls for an "ethics committee" investigation are made, it seems everything gets hushed up and goes underground, while an "investigation" goes on.  These committees seem to often be a convenient graveyard for burying the facts of a case. 

[Oostende]

It looks like $27,000 was the amount of the payout.

No one is interested in this but me? 

I would think that using money from the public treasury to buy silence makes this all the more egregious.  He's also the longest serving member of the House. 

He admits the settlement but denies wrongdoing.