Conyers hospitalized amid ongoing pressure to resign

UPDATE: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has joined the growing chorus of calls for Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., to resign amid sexual misconduct accusations. Pelosi reportedly pressured Conyers behind the scenes but publicly stood behind him, until now. An unidentified senior House aide also claims the Congressional Black Caucus urged Conyers on Tuesday to resign, but those claims have not been verified.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (11:03 a.m.): WASHINGTON—Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., entered a Detroit hospital on Wednesday to seek treatment for an undisclosed illness. Sam Riddle, a spokesman for the congressman, confirmed Conyers’ hospitalization but declined to provide details. The 88-year-old lawmaker left Washington on Tuesday to return to Michigan to be with his family amid ongoing accusations of sexual misconduct. Pressure for Conyers to resign continues to build, even among his Democratic colleagues. As of Thursday morning, at least four House Democrats—Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Kathleen Rice of New York—publicly urged Conyers to leave office. Last week, BuzzFeed News reported Conyers settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 from a woman who claimed he fired her for rejecting his sexual advances. Conyers settled the claim using $27,000 in taxpayer funds. Since then, at least four other women have brought claims against Conyers. On Thursday morning, Marion Brown revealed on NBC’s Today show that she is the woman from the settlement. “I am taking a risk,” Brown said, noting she was breaking the nondisclosure agreement she signed when accepting the settlement. “And the reason why I’m taking a risk—and it’s important—I want to be a voice.” Arnold Reed, Conyers’ attorney, said Wednesday the longest-serving member of Congress has no plans to resign. Reed dismissed as false any reports claiming Conyers has reached a decision.