Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said on CNN on Wednesday that Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) should step down as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee while the House Ethics Committee investigates him for allegedly paying a female staffer in 2015 for her silence following accusations of sexual harassment. The comments come after reports that a second woman accused the longtime congressman of sexually harassing her in a civil lawsuit earlier this year, before she withdrew the suit after finding out her allegations would be made public. Maria Reddick, Conyers’ former scheduler, accused the 88-year-old congressman of frequently asking her to come home with him and “repeatedly coming to her desk, rubbing on her shoulders, kissing her forehead, making inappropriate comments, covering and attempting to hold her hand.” She claimed that she was unjustly fired after seeking help from the Office of Compliance.
