Rep. Kathleen Rice on Friday again called on her Democratic colleague Rep. John Conyers to resign. On Wednesday, she tweeted a statement saying as much.
“I think that’s what people are sick and tired of — the rules in Washington for politicians like me being different then they are for regular people,” Ms. Rice, New York Democrat, said on CNN.
She said that Mr. Conyers of Michigan should step down after allegations that he paid off a former staffer who accused him of sexual harassment.
Mr. Conyers joins a growing list of men in media, politics and entertainment who have been accused of misconduct in the workplace, including sexual assault and harassment. Men like Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and CBS News anchor Charlie Rose were terminated from their jobs and companies following several credible allegations.
Yet, Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota Democrat, and Mr. Conyers have not had a similar fate. Mr. Franken was accused of forcibly kissing a woman on a USO tour in 2006 after a photograph of him grabbing her breasts while she slept was made public. He will be the subject of an ethics review.
“We’re not talking about the court of law here,” Ms. Rice said when asked if these men should be removed from office. “We don’t have any legal standard here. We’re talking about the court of public opinion.”
Ms. Rice said the issue is about setting a new standard and that includes members of Congress. She said this type of behavior can no longer be tolerated.
“Right now, what we’re talking about is there going to be any level of accountability,” she said.
I believe Rep. Conyers should resign. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/k8u9CXoJzH
— Kathleen Rice (@RepKathleenRice) November 22, 2017
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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