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john conyers
Former Rep. John Conyers, Who Served in Congress for 53 Years, Dies at 90
"He never once wavered in fighting for jobs, justice, and peace. We always knew where he stood on issues of equality and civil rights in the fight for the people."
Oct 27, 2019
Former Rep. John Conyers, whose 53 years in Congress were spent advocating for civil rights causes, died Sunday at 90.
"He never once wavered in fighting for jobs, justice and peace," Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who was elected to Conyers' seat in 2018, said on Twitter. "We always knew where he stood on issues of equality and civil rights in the fight for the people."
Tlaib repeated the sentiment during a rally with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
\u201cAt Bernie Sanders rally in Detroit, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib calls for moment of silence following the death of former Rep. John Conyers.\n\n\u201cHe served us and fought for us for over 50 years.\u201d https://t.co/5ZpedSEoJ5\u201d— ABC News Politics (@ABC News Politics) 1572213443
Conyers began his decades in Congress in 1965 and served in the lower chamber until resigning in 2017 after a series of sexual harassment allegations were made public. The congressman denied the accusations.
"My legacy can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we're going through now," Conyers told radio host Mildred Gaddis at the time. "This too shall pass."
His long career included founding the Congressional Black Caucus and serving as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 2007 to 2011.
According to CNN:
In 1983, Conyers introduced the original bill to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday and in 1994 worked on the Violence against Women Act. He became the first African American to serve as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 2007.
"From co-founding the Congressional Black Caucus to leading the fight in Congress to enshrine Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday, John Conyers' impact on our city and nation will never be forgotten," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement.
At the rally on Sunday evening with Tlaib, Sanders remembered Conyers.
"Thank you very much John, for all you've done for this country," said Sanders.
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Senator Leading #TrumpToo Call Won't Be Silenced By President's "Sexist Smear"
"You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office."
Dec 12, 2017
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) quickly fired back at President Donald Trump on Tuesday after he posted a crude tweet about her, attacking the lawmaker amid calls for Congress to investigate the president's history of sexual harassment and assault and her suggestion that he resign.
With as many as 19 separate allegations aimed at the president, Gillibrand has been leading the charge in the Senate against Trump and recently called for his resignation.
In his tweet Tuesday morning, Trump lashed out by calling the senator a "lightweight" and then suggested that Gillibrand "would do anything for" his donations before he ran for office.
\u201cYou cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office. https://t.co/UbQZqubXZv\u201d— Kirsten Gillibrand (@Kirsten Gillibrand) 1513086802
After responding on social media, the senator held a press conference, calling Trump's tweet a "sexist smear."
Gillibrand has become a leading voice in calls to hold Trump accountable for his sexual misconduct--including behavior that he openly admitted to in an audio recording that was circulated during the 2016 campaign--just as Democratic lawmakers Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) have been called to account for allegations against them.
The #TrumpToo movement has taken off in recent days, weeks after the #MeToo social media campaign flooded Facebook and Twitter feeds. Supporters want Congress and the Justice Department to open an inquiry into reports that Trump grabbed, forcibly kissed, and harassed women at various times during his career.
As of Tuesday, 277,845 people had signed a MoveOn.org petition calling for an investigation.
Trump has denied the allegations, despite his statement last year that the audio recording in which he bragged about sexually assaulting a woman, was authentic. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that the allegations took place "long before he was elected president" while also claiming they were untrue.
Speaking to reporters, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) strongly condemned the president's remarks about Gillibrand, saying, "He's a misogynist and admitted sexual predator and a liar. The only thing that will stop him from attacking us, because nobody is safe, is his resignation."
\u201cSen. Mazie Hirono on President Trump: "He\u2019s a misogynist and admitted sexual predator and a liar. The only thing that will stop him from attacking us, because nobody is safe, is his resignation.\u201d\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1513098006
On social media, Trump critics and supporters of #TrumpToo also jumped to Gillibrand's defense and expressed shock at his comments about the senator, which many said qualified as a new incident of sexual harassment.
\u201cAt least four Democratic senators have called for Trump to resign or consider resigning so far: Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand, who Trump targeted this AM, is the only woman in that group.\u201d— Rebecca Ballhaus (@Rebecca Ballhaus) 1513090167
To be clear: Trump sexually harassed Gillibrand in his tweet by strongly implying she'd have sex for campaign contributions.
-- Pe Resists (@4everNeverTrump) December 12, 2017
\u201cHate even dignifying tweets like these -- and I know this isn't the most incendiary part -- but I feel compelled to note that "lightweight" Gillibrand has a magna cum laude degree from Dartmouth. https://t.co/Gk2Z5h4Hbg\u201d— Jonathan Cohn (@Jonathan Cohn) 1513085839
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#TrumpToo: Amid Reckoning, Calls to Hold President Accountable Swell
Donald Trump has so far escaped the scrutiny of sexual assualt allegations levied at him that has come to other high profile figures. "That has to change now."
Dec 08, 2017
The #TrumpToo movement, which is demanding accountability for President Donald Trump's history of alleged sexual harassment and assault, is gaining more steam this week after the resignations of Democratic lawmakers Al Franken and John Conyers.
A MoveOn.org petition calling for a Congressional and Justice Department investigation into the claims against the president gathered over 150,000 signatures in a week, the group said. As of this writing, it has 161,405 signatures.
"Twenty women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment or assault against Donald Trump," the MoveOn petition, started by member Susan O'Connor, states. "As the nation grapples with allegations against Roy Moore, Senator Al Franken, and Representative John Conyers, it's past time for Congress and the Department of Justice to formally investigate these allegations against Trump."
A Quinnipiac poll released this week reveals strong support for such a call, finding that 70 percent of Americans would back a congressional inquiry into the numerous allegations.
Conyers and Franken faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and calls within their own party to resign. Conyers did so on Tuesday while Franken announced his resignation Thursday.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Franken said, "I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party," referring to Trump-backed Alabama Senate candidate Moore.
\u201cPOTUS is no different from the others: sexual violators, predators, harassers. Fire him! #TRUMPTOO https://t.co/h3e0VJlset\u201d— Laura Flanders (@Laura Flanders) 1512061269
Franken's resignation, said progressive advocacy group CREDO, is not "enough to root out sexual harassment and assault in the federal government." The group pointed to its petition calling for congressional investigations into sexual assault allegations against any federal official, starting with Trump.
The petition, which so far has 182,501 signatures, states that "right now, the momentum for holding powerful men accountable for using their power to harass, assault, and discriminate against women is on our side."
Writing at Rolling Stone, David S. Cohen comments on this "unique moment in modern history" as well. "Remarkably, however, the highest-profile person in the nation, whose treatment of women is notably checkered, has largely escaped this current round of scrutiny. That has to change now. President Trump has to be put under this newly glaring spotlight," he writes.
The Nation's Joan Walsh also made the case this week, writing that "Franken's departure [should] be not just another #MeToo moment but a long-delayed #TrumpToo moment."
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