In 2015, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) settled a wrongful dismissal complaint filed by a former employee who said she was fired after refusing to "succumb" to Conyers' "sexual advances," BuzzFeed News reports.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous because she was afraid of retaliation, said she complained in 2014 to Congress' Office of Compliance, and she ultimately signed a confidentiality agreement in exchange for a settlement of $27,111.75, which came from Conyers' office budget. Conyers admitted no fault as part of the settlement, BuzzFeed News reports. His office did not respond to BuzzFeed News' requests for comment, and the Office of Compliance could not confirm or deny dealing with the woman's case.
BuzzFeed News was given documents related to the case by right-wing Twitter provocateur Mike Cernovich, who claimed he passed them along because if he published them, Democrats would "try to discredit the story by attacking the messenger." BuzzFeed News says it independently confirmed the authenticity of the documents, which included four signed affidavits. The affidavits were from women who used to work for Conyers, who said he asked them for sexual favors and would rub their backs and legs. For more on the allegations and the process of filing sexual harassment complaints in Congress, visit BuzzFeed News.
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