Conyers is the latest public figure to be accused of sexual harassment in an ever-widening scandal following the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein last month. The employee who was fired said on one occasion, the congressman asked her to work from his hotel room and began talking about his sexual desire, urging her to touch his penis. Two other staffers meanwhile alleged in their 2014 testimony that Conyers used congressional resources to fly in women they believed he was having affairs with. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, a Republican, described the report as “extremely troubling,” adding that a process was underway to reform the way Congress deals with such cases. Last week two female lawmakers from the House of Representatives said they knew of two male colleagues who engaged in harassment on the Hill.

Source: The Guardian November 21, 2017 18:33 UTC