OK. I’ll answer the question posed in the headline over this blog post.
Yes, I believe it’s time for U.S. Rep. John Conyers to call it quits. It’s time for the congressman who has served for more than five decades in the House of Representatives to return to civilian life.
Conyers, a Democrat, is facing mounting pressure from the Congressional Black Caucus to resign in the wake of a third woman who’s accused Conyers of making improper sexual advances.
Conyers already has acknowledged paying one woman a $27,000 settlement, even while denying he did anything wrong.
He is the longest-serving member of the House. He’s been called an “icon” by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who said he is entitled to “due process.”
Well, I’m not sure how you define due process in a political climate. Conyers has not been charged with a crime. He has now become a major “distraction” for legislative colleagues.
This sexual abuse network of scandals is reaching across party lines. It is insidious and it is inflicting serious — and potentially grievous — damage in the halls of government. Members of both congressional chambers stand accused of extreme misbehavior toward women; indeed, similar allegations have soiled the president of the United States.
A Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate also is facing calls from within his own party to pull out of his contest.
Conyers already has stepped down from his leadership post on the House Judiciary Committee. I am afraid that isn’t enough.
Rep. Conyers’s career is sullied and soiled by the accusations of sexual harassment.
It’s over. Or at least it should be.