Showing posts with label John Conyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Conyers. Show all posts

Monday, December 11, 2017

CNN And WaPo Working On 20-40 Sexual Misconduct Stories

CNN and Washington Post are working on exposing "20-30 congressional members" for sexual harassment, claims Michael Trujillo, former LA City Commissioner and Hillary Clinton"s California Field Director during her 2008 bid for the White House. 



Michael Trujillo



Former Wall St. Journal reporter Neil King adds to Trujillo"s figure, saying he hears the number "may top 40"



Trujillo - a political advisor who has worked on over 39 political and legislative campaigns across the country, and was dubbed part of the "Clinton"s Dream Team" by MSNBC, made the claim late last week. If true, this would implicate over 10% of male members of congress - unless woman are on the list - which, in any event, would likely lead to a massive self-draining of at least part of the swamp.



Rep Al Franken (D-MN)


Word of the potential new allegations comes on the heels of several high profile retirements in the wake of sexual misconduct claims. Last Thursday, Senator Al Franken announced his resignation:



Franken denied the validity of the eight allegations against him, stating "some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember differently." 


The day before Franken announced his resignation, 88-year-old Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) "retired" as the longest serving House member and founding member of the Black Caucus. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi had encouraged the House Ethics Cmte to "proceed expeditiously" as it investigates accusations against Conyers. The review began after reports Conyers reached a $27k settlement with a former aide who said she was fired for rejecting his sexual advances; since then, Conyers has been accused of harassment by other women. Conyers has acknowledged the settlement but denied sexual harassment claims.


Republican Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) also announced his resignation last week while under threat of an ethics probe for a sexual harassment allegation lodged by a woman in his office after Franks who says he offered her $5 million to be a surrogate mother for his children, and that she and another female employee were worried that he wanted to have sex as a means of impregnating them. 








Andrea Lafferty, the executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, said that one of the women approached by Mr. Franks told her about the encounter last year, and said that Mr. Franks entreated her repeatedly to be a surrogate mother, at one point offering $5 million.


 


“She rebuffed him many times,” Ms. Lafferty said. -NYT



The allegations against Franks caused Speaker Paul Ryan to meet with him and ask for his resignation.




Meanwhile, Senator and former Clinton running mate Tim Kaine (D-VA) thinks Franken"s resignation sets a new precedent. As Vanity Fair notes:








Given that Congress’s Office of Compliance—the only recourse staffers have to report abuse—is all but explicitly designed to protect lawmakers, a reckoning over sexual harassment on Capitol Hill is long overdue. Democrats, unlike Republicans, are mostly cheering the sea change, even as some wonder whether Franken’s resignation may have set a harsh new precedent. “This does establish a new standard for this body,” Senator Tim Kaine told reporters on Thursday. “And that standard is: behavior before you were elected is fair game for determining whether you should be here.” He added, “If that’s the standard, we have to be committed to trying to apply that in an evenhanded way.”



An interesting comment by Kaine... Now that the Russiagate investigation appears to be stalling out and Special Counsel Robert Mueller"s team revealed to be highly politicized and stacked with several anti-Trump investigators, it"s apparently time for the President"s enemies to shift the narrative again - as several Trump accusers are holding a press conference Monday morning to call for a congressional investigation into sexual misconduct. 



The women are uniting for the first time to demand the probe and share details of their allegations against the President, according to the release. The press conference will be hosted by a documentary group that previously released a film about allegations against Trump.



Eight Trump Accusers


The President has denied the allegations, while the White House said in October that its official position is that all of the women are lying. Trump called the allegations "total fiction" when they emerged in October, 2016 - weeks before the election - the first such claims against Trump in his 50 year career. 


"These are stories that are made up, these are total fiction. You"ll find out that, in the years to come, these women that stood up, it was all fiction," Trump said. "They were made up. I don"t know these women, it"s not my thing to do what they say."


So - it appears we"re in for quite the show; with CNN and WaPo rumored to have 20-40 stories in the works against members of congress, while a gaggle of Trump accusers assemble to rehash claims which first surfaced weeks before the 2016 election. Time for more popcorn and a barrage of very angry Trump tweets. 









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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Democratic Congressman Conyers "Retires, Not Resigns" As Sexual Misconduct Allegations Build

Careful to explain to those that care, Michigan Democrat Congressman John Conyers says he will "retire" from Congress today, and is "not resigning," following a growing list of sexual misconduct allegations. Conyers is endorsing his son, John Conyers III, to replace him in Congress.


“He is not resigning. He is going to retire,” Ian Conyers told the newspaper. “His doctor advised him that the rigor of another campaign would be too much for him just in terms of his health.”



Conyers, 88, is the longest serving House member and was one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus.



House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) have both said Conyers should step aside in light of the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the assistant Democratic leader who is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) with Conyers, has also said the Michigan lawmaker should resign.


As a reminder, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi had encouraged the House Ethics Cmte to "proceed expeditiously" as it investigates accusations against Conyers.


The review began after reports Conyers reached a $27k settlement with a former aide who said she was fired for rejecting his sexual advances; since then, Conyers has been accused of harassment by other women.


Conyers has acknowledged the settlement but denied sexual harassment claims.


Conyers concluded:


“My legacy will continue through my children."



We are not so sure about that Mr. Conyers, we suspect your families legacy will be tarnished with your alleged actions.


As The Hill reports,Ian Conyers, who also serves as a Michigan state senator, also told the Times that he plans to run for John Conyers"s seat in Michigan"s 13th Congressional District.


“I’m absolutely going to file for his seat. The work of our congressional district, where I come out of, has to continue,” Ian Conyers said.


 


“We have got to have someone who has depth and experience but also historical understanding of what it takes to fight this type of evil in Washington.”



In the interview, the state senator refused to defend the alleged actions of his great uncle.


“I stand with my uncle in terms of his belief of no specific wrongdoing,” Ian Conyers told the newspaper. “However, those things need to have their day in court.”










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Thursday, November 30, 2017

John Conyers Hospitalized; Pelosi Calls For His Resignation

Update: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has had a change of heart regarding her colleague John Conyers - whom she recently praised as an "icon" who fought for civil rights and women"s rights. A day after the Washington Post published a story about how Congressional Democrats were divided over the issue of whether Conyers should resign, Pelosi is saying that she now believes he should resign. As we reported below, Conyers was hospitalized in his hometown of Detroit earlier today, reportedly due to "stress". She called the allegations against her colleague "serious", "disappointing" and "very credible."


 



 


* * *


A day after reports emerged that Michigan Rep. John Conyers wouldn"t seek re-election in 2018, ending a more than 50-year career in the House, local media reported that he had been hospitalized after returning to the Detroit area.


Conyers" office confirmed the congressman is hospitalized but did not say why or at which hospital. Political consultant Sam Riddle spoke to reporters Thursday morning and said Conyers was hospitalized due to stress. Riddle said he spoke to Conyers" wife, Monica Conyers, Thursday morning.


"I just spoke with Monica Conyers on the phone and we want you to know that the congressman is resting comfortably in an area hospital. He"s doing OK, as well as he can be expected for a gentleman that"s approaching 90 years of age," Riddle said. "The congressman"s health is not what it should be and lot of that is directly attributable to this media assault."



The 88-year-old congressman returned to Detroit this week amid sexual harassment claims from his former staffers.


One of the women accusing Conyers of sexual harassment spoke early Thursday.


Marion Brown described what she claims Conyers did to her while she worked for him.


"Some of the things that he did, it was sexual harassment," she said. "Violating my body, propositioning me, inviting me to hotels with the guise of discussing business, and then propositioning for sex. He just violated my body. He has touched me in different ways, and it was very uncomfortable and very unprofessional."


Conyers settled a sexual harassment claim with Brown back in 2015.


Buzzfeed reported last week that Conyers had used taxpayer money to pay settlements to several former staffers who accused him of sexual harassment.


 









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Sexual Assault Storm Tells us Something Else About Power

Via The Daily Bell


Let’s talk about power. The way I see it, there are basically two types of power, political and economic. You can wield power through the government, or through your giant bank account.


In the crony world of corporate-political America, the lines are blurry. These days most people gain their political or economic power by mixing the two. But you can still tease apart whether someone’s power derives mostly from political or economic sources.


And there are all these people with either type of power who secretly behind closed doors act completely inappropriately when it comes to sexual advances.


(There’s more to the story about why the media is just now reporting these things. Read my take on the media’s plan for using sexual assault accusations as a weapon. But for our current discussion, suffice to say, most of these guys are major creeps exploiting their positions.)


So what happens to the people in each power-house when they are caught, with credible evidence?


The economically powerful in the private sector get fired. They have sponsors pulled, they have projects canceled. The power they used to take advantage sexually is seriously diminished. Even if it doesn’t cost them outright, it costs them in network connections. It costs them in reputation, and reputation is a key component of economic power.


The latest to be fired is Matt Lauer. Weinstein and Spacey lost projects and gave up lucrative deals. Mark Halperin and Charlie Rose were fired. Louie C.K. lost a whole bunch of shows and specials.


And the politically powerful are not affected. Al Franken has not resigned. John Conyers has not resigned. Some people even think Trump is getting off easy, although his controversy is more about words than actions. Bill Clinton is lucky he is from a different era. Roy Moore will become a Senator if a slim majority of Alabama voters approve.


The L.A. Times is taking politicians to task on the difference.


Congress also has more than a whiff of entitlement, accustomed to operating by its own rules while other organizations rush to protect themselves from liability.


Beyond that, some lawmakers argue that voters, not colleagues, should serve as the ultimate judges of those under scrutiny.


When Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) was asked Wednesday about the difference between quick actions taken against non-politicians and lagging moves against members of Congress like Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, he blurted out one line:


“Who elected them?” he said, referring to the private-sector figures.



This highlights the problem with holding government accountable. This shows how much easier it is to hold the private sector accountable. When people and organizations have to worry about their wallets, they respond.


The market is very effective at regulating behavior. We, the people, have the power hit the economically powerful where it hurts: their wallets.


We have no such power with politicians. In fact, the taxpayers fund their settlements! The government doesn’t stand to lose “business” no matter what its members do. They will still be funded by tax dollars, we have no choice.


And to fire them, we need to wait until the next election cycle. But even then, the politicians at fault might not be in your district. Even if they are, you need a majority to hold them accountable.


Public pressure on politicians does nothing to curtail their power unless it causes them to lose an election. But as consumers, we can immediately affect the power of people in the private sector. They don’t need a slim majority to maintain power, they need a broad customer base excited to hand over their dollars.


The private sector has built-in incentives to punish people who fall into disfavor with customers.


Political power is a creepy club of factions and games. When someone in the private sector is accused of sexual misconduct, their peers quickly disown them. They are banished, exiled, shunned, and may God have mercy on their souls.


But politicians know that their power is not subject to the same constraints as economic power.


Democrats have remained coy about whether or not Franken and Conyers should resign. Some Republicans have called for Roy Moore to drop out of the Alabama Senate race. But President Trump remains supportive. Marco Rubio says it is a “difficult situation.”


Because on the one hand, as a Republican, you want the Republican Party to keep the seat. On the other hand, I personally find the accusations against him to be credible, and I don’t think he has done or said anything in the last month that has helped himself or in any way made me feel better about it,” Rubio said. “But he’s staying in the race, the people of Alabama will have their vote and we’ll move on from there.”



So that is that, colleagues wash their hands of the situation. Let the voters decide their fate. Because that always works so well…


Power Goes to Their Head


I think power does basically the same thing to people whether it is economic or political power.


And if these people are willing to put their careers on the line for a cheap sexual thrill, imagine what else they are capable of.


I don’t know if this says something about human nature, our culture, or men in general. But the lesson I get out of it all is that power imbalances cause people to do crazy things. How easy it is for power to go to someone’s head.


Behavior that everyone knows is completely inappropriate is common among people who feel above others.


Those with economic power learn from their fall from grace. Congress’ solution? They will implement sexual harassment training for politicians and staff, and call it a day.

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Friday, October 27, 2017

Lawmakers Are Trying to Stop Trump From Starting a Nuclear War With North Korea

“During the campaign, people feared a President Trump with the power to initiate a nuclear conflict—less than a year later, those fears are far too close to being realized,” said Rep. John Conyers.

(COMMONDREAMS) — With diplomacy between Washington and Pyongynag on its “last legs” and President Donald Trump continuing to ratchet up tensions, scores of U.S. lawmakers just introduced legislation to prevent him from launching a pre-emptive strike against North Korea.


Denouncing Trump’s “reckless” conduct, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, explained why many feel the president needs to held in check. “During the campaign,” he said, “people feared a President Trump with the power to initiate a nuclear conflict—less than a year later, those fears are far too close to being realized.”


Conyers was joined by fellow Democrat Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts in sponsoring the bicameral legislation (pdf), called the “No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea Act of 2017,” which was introduced Thursday. Among the 61 co-sponsors are two Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Walter Jones of North Carolina.


The legislation states: “The American people, America’s allies in Asia, and the entire world have been deeply troubled by escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.” It calls for no Pentagon or other federal agency funds to be used to launch a first strike against North Korea unless Congress has given approval.


Rather than launch an unconstitutional attack, the legislation says the president should “engage in talks with North Korea on concrete steps to reduce tensions and improve communication; initiate negotiations described to achieve a diplomatic agreement to halt and eventually reverse North Korea’s nuclear and missile pursuits; and move toward a denuclearization and a permanent peace in the Korean peninsula.”


“As long as President Trump has a Twitter account,” said Sen. Markey, “we must ensure that he cannot start a war or launch a nuclear first strike without the explicit authorization of Congress.”


Added Conyers: “Trump must immediately cease talk of pre-emptive war and commit to the diplomatic path advocated by both American experts and the South Korean government.”


Diplomacy has been urged by antiwar groups as well, such as Win Without War, which tweeted in response to the proposed bill: “Thank you @RepJohnConyers for working to keep us safe from an impulsive and incompetent administration. We must let diplomacy work with NK.”




Earlier this year, it should be noted, Markey joined with California Rep. Ted Lieu in introducing similar legislation, and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is about to so the same. He took to Twitter on Wedneaday to announce that he will be introducing a bill with Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz (Hawaii) and Cory Booker (N.J.) “to prohibit any preemptive action w/o vote by Congress.”


Murphy said the legislation “makes clear that any unauthorized preemptive strike on N Korea—nuclear or conventional—is illegal.” He added: “For all the Republicans breaking w Trump, here is your chance to actually constrain his most dangerous power—to make war.”








A Quinnipiac poll released earlier this month suggests that nearly two-thirds of voters would be in favor of such legislation. Sixty-two percent of U.S. voters said they oppose a pre-emptive strike on North Korea, and 65 percent said they are in favor of the U.S. negotiating with Pyongyang.


Author Rebecca Gordon wrote in column for TomDispatch on Thursday that “Congress should act while there is still time. Removing Trump’s ability to unilaterally launch a nuclear attack might ease some fears in Pyongyang. And the rest of us might once again be able to sleep at night.”


By Andrea Germanos / Creative Commons / Common Dreams / Report a typo


This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy.

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