A second former staffer to Democratic Rep. John Conyers has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment.
Deanna Maher, who worked for Conyers from 1997 to 2005, said that Conyers made unwanted sexual advances to her on three occasions.
She told The Detroit News that the first incident happened in 1997, shortly after Conyers hired her.
“I didn’t have a room, and he had me put in his hotel suite,” said Maher, 77, stating that she rejected his offer to share his hotel room and have sex with him.
The other two alleged incidents occurred in 1998 and 1999 and involved unwanted and inappropriate touching.
In 1998, Maher said she was driving to the airport with Conyers and he kept touching her leg.
“He was trying to feel me up with his right hand,” she said. “I kept pushing his hand away. Then he put his hand on my neck and started trying to tickle me. We were on I-75, and he was driving erratically. I was saved by the bell because we got pulled over by the police for the way he was driving.”
Maher said she continued to work for Conyers because she was in her 50s in the time and did not think anyone else would hire her. She also got the impression that no one would take her claims of harassment seriously because Conyers was such a powerful member of Congress.
“I didn’t report the harassment because it was clear nobody wanted to take it seriously,” she said. “John Conyers is a powerful man in Washington, and nobody wanted to cross him.”
Former Detroit Free Press reporter Joel Thurtell said Maher told him about the harassment at the time, but she did not want to go on the record.
“She told me about the sexual harassment claims, but at the time she didn’t feel confident she wouldn’t be hung out to dry and retaliated against,” Thurtell explained. “So there was no way I could report it. I spoke with her last week, and she said she just didn’t feel comfortable at the time going on the record with the allegations.”
Conyers’ attorney, Arnold Reed, questioned Maher’s stories and said that Conyers denies any wrongdoing.
“At best, they are uncorroborated. At worst, they’re just not believable. When you consider that they’re flying down I-75, he is driving and has time to do all of that, they get pulled over by a police officer, and she doesn’t tell him what’s going on?” Reed said.
Conyers stepped down as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee after it was revealed he had settled a wrongful dismissal suit with one former staffer after she accused him of firing her for resisting his sexual advances. Conyers settled to the tune of $27,000 and had the accuser sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Another former staffer, Melanie Sloan, said Conyers would constantly berate her and would walk around his office in his underwear.