Congressional Black Caucus members trying to get Conyers to resign: report

Multiple members of the Congressional Black Caucus are reportedly urging Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) to resign.

CNN reported that several members of the caucus are talking to Conyers to get the Michigan Democrat to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct against him, according to several Democratic sources.

A staffer for a caucus member told CNN that “there is a feeling among some of our members that we need to protect his legacy.”

{mosads}House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is reportedly supporting the effort.

Pelosi drew criticism for her comments Sunday, in which she referred to Conyers as an “icon.” On Monday, she met with one of Conyers’s accusers and said afterward that she found the woman’s experiences as a Judiciary staffer under Conyers in the 1990s to be “unacceptable and disappointing” and said she found them to be reputable.

Conyers, the chamber’s longest-serving current member, was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Conyers is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. The Detroit News reported Tuesday that another woman came forward alleging that Conyers made unwanted sexual advances toward her when she was a staffer in his office two decades ago.

Conyers has denied previous allegations, first reported by BuzzFeed last week, but after days of pressure, he announced Sunday he would step down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

The House Ethics Committee last week said it opened an investigation into the allegations against Conyers.