"It's A Designed Cover-Up" - Powerful Democratic Congressman John Conyers Sexually Harassed Staffers

Update: In a lawsuit unearthed by Buzzfeed, a second woman accused Conyers of sexual harassment, but later abandoned efforts to hold him accountable. According to Buzzfeed, a former scheduler for the Democrat said she faced daily harassment from the congressman in a suit she later dropped after a court denied her request to keep it sealed. The behavior dscribed in the suit took place between 2015 and 2016, meaning it happened after Conyers settled with the previous, unnamed, former staffer.

“These behaviors and actions were so common and pervasive that they created a hostile work environment,” she alleged. Unlike the settlement agreement that was published by Buzzfeed earlier Monday, this lawsuit is a public document. BuzzFeed News was not able to reach the woman for comment and also decided against releasing her name.

Asked by Buzzfeed to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday, a Conyers spokesman said: “[The former staffer] voluntarily decided to drop her case.” The congressman “vehemently” denied the previously reported allegations.

Though the staffer expressed admiration for Conyers' civil rights record in the suit, his harassment quickly became too much for her to tolerate. She even convinced a former staffer to be her "fake boyfriend". He would stop by the office once in a while in an attempt to head off Conyers' advances.

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