House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is under fire after defending accused Rep. John Conyers in a televised Sunday morning interview. She pleads for “due process” before making conclusions about the District of Michigan congressman amid the media frenzy surrounding his sexual harassment allegations.
In an interview with Meet The Press, Pelosi directly told the host that the 27-term congressman is an icon in the American society whose works values and centers on the protection of women.
“John Conyers is an icon in our country. He has done a great deal to protect women – Violence Against Women Act, which the left – right-wing – is now quoting me as praising him for his work on that, and he did great work on that,” she said.
The District of California representative also noted, that for a fact, Conyers is taking the accusation seriously and is reviewing the case, adding, “I believe he will do the right thing.”
Host Chuck Todd asked Pelosi if Conyers should resign from his post. Dodging the question, she continued, saying, “He would do the right thing in terms of what he knows about his situation – that he’s entitled to due process but women are also entitled to due process as well.”
Not settling without an answer, Todd brought up Conyers’ upright disregard of the rule of Congres when he hid his settlement and the tough road the alleged victim had to go through during the entire process. He asked her the following.
“Why is he entitled to due process?”
But for the second time, the congresswoman refused to answer the question whether Conyers should resign or not. She said that they are talking about what they heard and the issue has been brought to the Ethics Committee which she assured that he will cooperate in the investigation.
Earlier this week, Conyers’ office confirmed that it issued a $27,000 settlement money to a former female staff who claims she was fired for resisting his sexual advances. Apparently, the said payment has been acknowledged by Conyers himself, explaining that it is part of her severance package.
When asked what was the payout for, the accused congressman strongly denied that it was to compensate for the sexual harassment accusation.
[Image by ASSOCIATED PRESS/AP Images]
