Dem: Conyers allegations ‘could be made up’

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in an interview on Wednesday that there is a chance the sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) “could be made up.”

“You can’t jump to conclusions with these types of things,” Clyburn, who is the third ranking Democrat in the House, told The New York Times. 

“For all I know, all of this could be made up,” he said.

Clyburn also told the Times that he was unsure whether the allegations “have any real substance.”

The comments come a day after Conyers acknowledged he took part in a settlement with a former female employee who accused him of sexual misconduct in order to avoid litigation in 2015.

{mosads}The House Ethics Committee announced on Tuesday that it was probing the sexual harassment allegations against Conyers, following a call from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to launch an investigation.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) called on Wednesday for Conyers to step down from his post on the Judiciary Committee as the Ethics Committee probes the allegations. 

“I really think that probably the appropriate thing right now is he should step down as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. And be subject to this ethics investigation,” Meeks, who serves on the Congressional Black Caucus with Conyers, told CNN.