Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said Wednesday fellow Democrat Rep. John Conyers of Michigan should resign, calling sexual misconduct allegations against him "as credible as they are repulsive."
Rice is the first House Democrat to demand the veteran lawmaker leave Congress.
Two others — Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. — have called for him to step down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee while the House Ethics Committee investigates sexual harassment claims against him.
The ethics panel is conducting its probe after the revelation of a $27,000 settlement agreement Conyers reached with a former staffer who said she was fired for rejecting his sexual advances.
Conyers has acknowledged the settlement but denied any wrongdoing.
"If men who engage in this behavior suffered real repercussions, more victims would speak up – and maybe other men would decide to act like decent, civilized adults and not prey on women who work for and trust and admire them," Rice said in her statement.
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