Conyers denies settlements, says he knows nothing of accusations

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) on Tuesday said he has not made any settlements in regards to alleged sexual misconduct claims from staff members.

“I have been looking at these things in amazement,” Conyers told The Associated Press.

According to the AP, Conyers, the longest-serving current member of the House, said he did not know anything about the claims against him.

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BuzzFeed News reported on Monday that four former staffers signed affidavits claiming Conyers made unwanted sexual advances on female staffers.

Documents examined by BuzzFeed allege a wide array of inappropriate conduct ranging from unwanted touching and requests for sexual favors.

The woman who filed a wrongful dismissal complaint alleged that Conyers would ask to work in private with her, and would describe sexual fantasies and encourage her to touch his genitals.

The complaint was filed in 2014 and settled for about $27,000, according to BuzzFeed. Conyers did not admit fault in the settlement.

Conyers’s alleged actions drew a rebuke from House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who calls the accusations “deeply troubling” and reaffirmed his support for efforts to reform the system for congressional staffers to file sexual harassment reports.

Right-wing activist Mike Cernovich reportedly handed the documents over to BuzzFeed, which “independently confirmed the authenticity of the documents with four people directly involved with the case, including the accuser.”

Cernovich, who is known to promote false conspiracy theories, reportedly said he gave BuzzFeed the documents because critics would have tried to discredit them if he posted them himself.