Congressman Conyers (D-MI) Forced Staff to Baby-Sit
RUSH: Let me get on to this Conyers business, because if I don't I'm going to keep pushing it back and people are going to say I'm tricking them; I'm teasing them, when I'm not. "Two former staff members John Conyers (D-Michigan), said the long-time Detroit congressman made them baby-sit his children, run errands and work on political campaigns while they were on his congressional payroll." CNN has an investigative unit and they went after this. We first heard about this story and told you about it two months ago (The Hill), because you as a regular tuner-inner are the on the cutting edge of societal evolution. So the investigative correspondent is Drew Griffin. He did a story on Conyers the second most senior member of Congress, ranking member of the judiciary committee. Here is former legal advisor Sydney Rooks talking about her experience as Conyers' baby-sitter.
ROOKS: Several times he just brought them into my office and said, "I'll be back later." Later could be a few minutes; later could be hours; later could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now eight or nine o'clock or later in the evening, and not knowingly what to do with the children. It was common; it was ubiquitous, and it wasn't just me. I wasn't the only person who got stuck with the kids for the day. I wasn't the only person who had to take the boys to the bathroom, change a diaper, or anything like that. We would also take them to doctors appointments, other things, too. If they had to go; they had to go. Somebody had to take them -- and there was no reimbursement for gasoline or anything like that.
REPORTER: Did you feel like a servant, like a house servant?
ROOKS: Many times I, frankly, did, yes.
RUSH: Yes. Well, I'm not surprised -- and then the correspondent spoke to a former deputy chief of staff for Conyers. Her name is Deanna Maher, and she said this about baby-sitting his kids.
MAHER: He handed me the keys to his car and his house and said, "Take care of my child, Carl, and everything. Make sure." In other words, I had to stay at the house and take care of him -- and that was for several weeks.
RUSH: Now, this is not supposed to happen. They filed ethics complaints, these two women have, against Conyers. Now, this is really gutsy for CNN. I don't know what's happening over there, but their investigative correspondent caught up with Conyers on Capitol Hill to ask him about this, said to him, "Congressman Conyers, I'm Drew Griffin with CNN."
CONYERS: Hi, Drew! Hi!
GRIFFIN: I have been trying to meet you for several weeks now to discuss these allegations by your former staff members.
CONYERS: (grumbling)
GRIFFIN: Ethics violations.
CONYERS: Oh, just a minute, sir. I've -- I've been told not to discuss them because we haven't examined them, and I have an attorney.
GRIFFIN: Well, can I just ask you...?
CONYERS: No.
GRIFFIN: Have you have required your staff members to baby-sit your children?
CONYERS: No, no. Look...
GRIFFIN: Does that mean you did not?
CONYERS: May I say... I told you I could not discuss it.
GRIFFIN: I just asked a yes or no question.
CONYERS: Now, this is not fair.
GRIFFIN: Have you required your staff to baby-sit your children and at one point, baby-sit your children for six weeks?
CONYERS: Oh, come on!
RUSH: Now, you can see the reporter is a little timid doing this. It still wasn't the same as if it had been a Republican. But he still went after him, still went after Conyers. The House Ethics Committee does have the power to vote on starting an ethics investigation against members of Congress. In the case of Conyers it hasn't yet happened. "CNN made several attempts recently to reach Conyers to answer these allegations. Last week, he declined to answer questions about duties assigned to the staff. CNN also called his lawyer, Stanley Brand. Their calls were not returned. The employees say that they used congressional staff time to work on local elections in Michigan, including a campaign for Conyers' wife, Monica, who is the Detroit City Council's president pro tem."
This is interesting in that now that it's out there, it makes it even tougher for the Democrats to move forward with their "culture of corruption." I wondered. I saw this on their web page at CNN and I said, "This is two months old!" At least they followed it up. Nobody else (other than where it first appeared in The Hill, the Capitol Hill newspaper and this program) did it get discussed nationally. I mean, there might have been others, but in terms of the drive-by media, this is the first.
END TRANSCRIPT
Read the Background Material...
(CNN: Congressman accused of using staff to baby-sit - Drew Griffin)
(The Hill: Former Conyers aides press ethics complaints)
(CNSNews.com: House Democrats Accused of Corruption, Too)
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