Nancy Pelosi: 'Congressman Conyers should resign'
Beleaguered Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) had a very eventful Thursday morning. Hours after one of his accusers spoke to the Today show about his alleged sexual harassment, Conyers was hospitalized with a "stress-related illness." Now, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wants Conyers to resign from his congressional seat.
"The allegations against Congressman Conyers, as we have learned more since Sunday, are serious, disappointing, and very credible," Pelosi told reporters. "Congressman Conyers should resign."
An hour later, Conyers' lawyer fired back that "Nancy Pelosi did not elect the congressman and she sure as hell won't tell the congressman to leave."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier Thursday, Marion Brown, a former staffer for the Democratic congressman, told the Today show that he "asked me to satisfy him sexually. He pointed to areas of, genital areas of his body and asked me to, you know, touch it." After BuzzFeed News reported last week that Brown — who was unnamed in the piece — settled a wrongful termination suit against Conyers for allegedly firing her after she rejected his sexual advances, two more former staffers came out with allegations of sexual misconduct against the Democratic congressman. Conyers maintains his innocence.
Pelosi initially sided with the congressman, calling him "an icon in our country" who had "done a great deal to protect women." The next day she said in a statement that she had spoken to one of Conyers' accusers and believed the allegations, but she stopped short of asking for his resignation.
You can watch Pelosi have a final change of heart below: Kelly O'Meara Morales
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Antibiotic resistance: the hidden danger on Ukraine’s frontlinesUnder The Radar Threat is spreading beyond war zones to the ‘doorstep’ of western Europe
-
‘Capitalism: A Global History’ by Sven Beckert and ‘American Canto’ by Olivia NuzziFeature A consummate history of capitalism and a memoir from the journalist who fell in love with RFK Jr.
-
Who will the new limits on student loans affect?The Explainer The Trump administration is imposing new limits for federal student loans starting on July 1, 2026
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
