Flashback: Rep. Waters Praises Rep. Conyers Work on Behalf of Women, ‘Impeccable Integrity’

It's a moment Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) likely wishes she could go back in time and edit out.

Just last month at the Women's Convention in Detroit, Mich., Rep. Waters singled out members of Congress she said deserved praise for their work on behalf of women.

Ironically the name she gave most prominence to is none other than Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who was just reported to have paid off a staffer, using taxpayer money, whom he had fired after she refused to provide him sexual favors.  

"You know, there is a member of Congress who has been supportive of women for many, many years," Waters told the crowd. "He is quiet, he is competent, he is powerful. But he has impeccable integrity on all of our issues. Give John Conyers a big round of applause."

"And so, ladies and gentlemen, you have these members of Congress who are working hard every day under some very difficult circumstances," she continued. "But I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be here in Detroit, Michigan, to once again tell the world that the women in this country are reclaiming our time."

Buzzfeed reports that the secret settlement Conyers signed with the unnamed staffer reporter her as saying: "Rep. Conyers strongly postulated that the performing of personal service or favors would be looked upon favorably and lead to salary increases or promotions.”

Buzzfeed further reports that Conyers prayed upon various members of his staff and frequently cheated on his wife (who is currently serving a jail term for corruption):

One affidavit from a former female employee states that she was tasked with flying in women for the congressman. “One of my duties while working for Rep. Conyers was to keep a list of women that I assumed he was having affairs with and call them at his request and, if necessary, have them flown in using Congressional resources,” said her affidavit. (A second staffer alleged in an interview that Conyers used taxpayer resources to fly women to him.)

The employee said in her affidavit that Conyers also made sexual advances toward her: “I was driving the Congressman in my personal car and was resting my hand on the stick shift. Rep. Conyers reached over and began to caress my hand in a sexual manner.”

The woman said she told Conyers she was married and not interested in pursuing a sexual relationship, according to the affidavit. She said she was told many times by constituents that it was well-known that Conyers had sexual relationships with his staff, and said she and other female staffers felt this undermined their credibility.

The Women's Convention was organized to, per its website, "will bring thousands of women, femmes and our allies of all backgrounds to Detroit from October 27 - 29, 2017, for a weekend of workshops, strategy sessions, inspiring forums and intersectional movement building to continue the preparation going into the 2018 midterm elections."

"Participants will leave inspired and motivated, with new connections, skills and strategies for working towards collective liberation for women of all races, ethnicities, ages, disabilities, sexual identities, gender expressions, immigration statuses, religious faiths, and economic statuses," the event description continues.