The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation of Representative John Conyers (D-MI) on Tuesday, shortly after Buzzfeed reported that the congressman had sexually harassed employees and used office funds to settle a 2015 sexual harassment complaint.
“The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative John Conyers, Jr. may have engaged in sexual harassment of members of his staff, discriminated against certain staff on the basis of age, and used official resources for impermissible personal purposes,” chairs Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Ted Deutsch (D-FL) said in a statement.
After the Ethics Committee released the statement, Buzzfeed reported that a second woman filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Conyers in 2016. According to both reports, Conyers is alleged to have harassed multiple women in his employment. “I am personally aware of several women who have experienced the same or similar sexual advances made towards them by Rep. John Conyers,” the woman with whom Conyers settled in 2015 said in her affidavit.
On Tuesday, Conyers denied the first report to the Associated Press. “I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. Earlier this week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for an investigation of Conyers while Leader Paul Ryan called the allegations against Conyers “extremely troubling.” Neither has said whether or not Conyers should resign.