Sunday, April 16, 2006
Rep. John Conyers Used Staff to Babysit
Michigan Democrat John Conyers - the congressman who would be chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee should Democrats gain control of the House - has been accused of misusing his office - and taxpayer dollars - for personal advantage.
According to two of his former staff members, Conyers required them to babysit his children, run errands and work on his political campaigns while on his congressional payroll.
According to CNN, former Conyers legal adviser Sydney Rooks charged that the congressman brought his two young sons into her office several times, saying, "Rooks, they're your responsibility for right now. I'll be back later." The definition of "later," she told network, could be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
"[I] could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now 8 or 9 p.m. or later in the evening and not knowing what to do with the children," she added.
For Deanna Maher, former deputy chief of staff in Conyers' Detroit office, baby-sitting meant a job as a full-time nanny.
"He handed me the keys to his car and his house, [said] take care of my child Carl and everything," Maher said, explaining that she moved into Conyers' Detroit home and took care of his elder son for several weeks while the congressman was in Washington and his wife attended law classes in Oklahoma.
In addition to the baby sitting chores, the ex-employees say while working on congressional staff time they were required to work on local elections in Michigan, including a campaign for Conyers' wife, Monica, who is the Detroit City Council's president pro tem. Sam Riddle, a spokesman for Monica Conyers, said the councilwoman "denies that any of the congressman's staff helped with her campaign."
Maher, Rooks and two other staffers have filed complaints against their former boss with the U.S. House of Representatives' ethics committee.
CNN says it made several attempts recently to reach the congressman to answer these former staffers' allegations. Last week, Conyers declined to answer questions about duties assigned to his staff.
"I've been told not to discuss them because we haven't examined them," Conyers said of allegations in a hallway outside a congressional hearing room. "And I have an attorney."
Michigan Democrat John Conyers - the congressman who would be chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee should Democrats gain control of the House - has been accused of misusing his office - and taxpayer dollars - for personal advantage.
According to two of his former staff members, Conyers required them to babysit his children, run errands and work on his political campaigns while on his congressional payroll.
According to CNN, former Conyers legal adviser Sydney Rooks charged that the congressman brought his two young sons into her office several times, saying, "Rooks, they're your responsibility for right now. I'll be back later." The definition of "later," she told network, could be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
"[I] could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now 8 or 9 p.m. or later in the evening and not knowing what to do with the children," she added.
For Deanna Maher, former deputy chief of staff in Conyers' Detroit office, baby-sitting meant a job as a full-time nanny.
"He handed me the keys to his car and his house, [said] take care of my child Carl and everything," Maher said, explaining that she moved into Conyers' Detroit home and took care of his elder son for several weeks while the congressman was in Washington and his wife attended law classes in Oklahoma.
In addition to the baby sitting chores, the ex-employees say while working on congressional staff time they were required to work on local elections in Michigan, including a campaign for Conyers' wife, Monica, who is the Detroit City Council's president pro tem. Sam Riddle, a spokesman for Monica Conyers, said the councilwoman "denies that any of the congressman's staff helped with her campaign."
Maher, Rooks and two other staffers have filed complaints against their former boss with the U.S. House of Representatives' ethics committee.
CNN says it made several attempts recently to reach the congressman to answer these former staffers' allegations. Last week, Conyers declined to answer questions about duties assigned to his staff.
"I've been told not to discuss them because we haven't examined them," Conyers said of allegations in a hallway outside a congressional hearing room. "And I have an attorney."
