Woman accuses Rep. John Conyers of putting his hand up her skirt at church
Another woman has accused Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) of sexual misconduct, including inappropriate and unwanted touching during church, The Detroit News reports. In an affidavit posted to Twitter, Elisa Grubbs alleged that "Rep. Conyers slid his hand up my skirt and rubbed my thighs while I was sitting next to him in the front row of a church. I was startled and sprung to my feet and exclaimed, 'He just ran his hand up my thigh!' Other staffers witnessed this event."
Grubbs worked for Conyers between 2001 and 2013. "Witnessing Rep. Conyers rub women's thighs and buttocks and make comments about women's physical attributes was a regular part of life while working in the office of Rep. Conyers," she wrote. Grubbs also recalled a time when Conyers came out of the bathroom naked while she was visiting his home, and that he inappropriately touched her cousin, Marion Brown.
Grubbs claimed that in one particular incident in 2005, Conyers asked Brown to help him with something in his hotel room. When Brown returned, she was "physically shaken and upset." Brown "then proceeded to tell me and my mother that, 'That SOB just wanted me to have sex with him!'"
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Brown publicly came forward with her allegations last week, sparking House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call for Conyers to resign. Conyers has been hospitalized for issues related to stress since last week. He is expected to make a statement Tuesday morning about his future, with people telling Detroit's Local 4 News that he will likely announce retirement, citing medical issues. Read Grubbs' affidavit below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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