CONYERS CONTINUES AT 90: Birthday bash draws over 300 friends, Congress and Detroit VIP’s, well-wishers, and comments on news

John Conyers, Jr.

A Detroit 90th birthday bash for retired Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Detroit) held on May 18 at his brother Nathan’s house drew over 300 friends, Congress and Detroit VIP’s, and well-wishers. The party, organized by wife Monica, Nate, and sons John III and Carl, brought Detroit area congressional representatives Brenda Lawrence, Debbie Dingell, and Rashida Tlaib, great-nephew former State Sen Ian Conyers, and many Detroit political officials including Council President Brenda Jones. An array of Conyers’ former Washington and Detroit top staffers also joined the celebration.

Conyers said in an interview at the event:

· He suggests “not to impeach” Trump now but keep investigating. “The longer he stays in, the more mistakes he’ll make.” He added, “the election will be a tough race. If we’re not careful he’ll win again.”· Among his many achievements, he’s “most proud” of his Martin Luther King Birthday Holiday bill becoming law. He was asked, “Did you think it would grow into this big an event, a national day of service?” He responded, “Yes. At first there was a small group of people with me. A larger group said it “would never happen. Then other people joined. More introduced their own. Support grew. After the assassination, what he had done resounded with people.” Conyers mentioned he felt the “most association” with King among American leaders, marched with him, went to his home, was endorsed by him for Congress.

Congressman John Conyers Jr. and
Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence

· He’s “all in” supporting Joe Biden’s run for President. Biden was a close colleague who chaired the Senate version of Conyers’ House Judiciary Committee and came to Conyers’ Hill portrait unveiling in Washington. Conyers said Saturday: “He has a good chance, better than Barack had at this point.” Conyers also supported Obama very early on.

· He’s happy his Reparations bill has become a major issue in the presidential campaign. Cong. Brenda Lawrence told him at the event, “It’s the talk of the country.” Conyers said, “It’s getting traction because it makes sense.” He joked, “Most of my stuff makes sense but it doesn’t always help it right away.”

· How do you stop voter suppression? “It’s a never-ending activity. With all the people that don’t support minority rights, we always have to stay at it, maintain enthusiasm, and raise money to do it.”

Conyers and Friends at his birthday party.

· On the Medicare-for-All movement where he enlisted a majority of House Democrats, but now weakening a bit under political arguments and industry lobbying since he’s left? Conyers said, “I still feel good about it, it’s moving, it takes time.”

· His resolution that passed in the House for no Iran war without congressional approval is “relevant especially now.”

· He noted that “the first person I hired when I was elected was Rosa Parks.”

· He said his health is good: “There’s not a thing wrong with me, no complaints.” He said he stays “active with events, there are so many who invite and welcome me. I’m privileged.” He said he’s been with many groups “from the beginning.” He’s thinking he’ll “write a book.”

· He offered positive words about his successors, Cong. Talib in Detroit and, at the Judiciary Committee in Washington, Jerold Nadler (D-NY). Talib presented Conyers with a flower bouquet. He said that despite some criticism of her rhetoric, people need to know she “means well.” He said that Nadler is carrying a “good program, well organized” on constitutional issues concerning Trump. Top Judiciary Counsel Perry Apelbaum came from Washington with a resolution congratulating Conyers signed by all Democratic Judiciary congressional members. Also at the party were former office Chief of Staff Ray Plowden and former Judiciary counsel Julian Epstein (and spokesman Bob Weiner, author of this article).

Congresswoman Dingell was seen crying at the event and was asked why. Perhaps summarizing the feelings of many, she said, “I’m just missing him. Lots of great memories of the ups and downs of life.”

Weiner is former communications director for Cong Conyers, a former Clinton and Bush White House spokesman, and former senior aide to Cong. Charles Rangel, Claude Pepper, Ed Koch, and Sen. Ted Kennedy. He now heads a group recruiting young journalists to write for top papers and contributes regularly to the Chronicle.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Departure of congressional veteran sets up possible Conyers v. Conyers contest

It could be Conyers versus Conyers — plus a host of other Democratic candidates — in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, who announced his retirement Tuesday.

State Sen. Ian Conyers, D-Detroit, a great nephew of John Conyers, pre-empted Tuesday's highly anticipated radio announcement by telling the New York Times that Conyers would announce his retirement —- not his resignation — and that he would be a candidate to replace him.

But in announcing what he described as his immediate retirement on Detroit radio Tuesday, John Conyers said he was endorsing his 27-year-old son, John Conyers III, to replace him.

"I didn't expect him to make an endorsement," Ian Conyers, reached by telephone in Israel, told the Free Press shortly after the announcement.

Ian Conyers' announcement drew a heated response from John Conyers' wife, Monica.

"Please know that I don't like opportunist (sic) or disrespect," she wrote on her Facebook page. "How can you make an announcement before he retires? One, you did not consult with our family before you made such an announcement. Ian Conyers is not endorsed by the Congressman. Nor is he authorized to make any statements or comments on behalf of him nor has he called or come to this hospital!!!! Period. smh"

Ian Conyers hadn't claimed an endorsement from his great uncle, but said on social media that he'd spoken with the congressman by phone Thursday and he advised him to run.

Ian Conyers said he encourages the media to "do a thorough vetting of all candidates," and he would definitely be running.

“What you witnessed is a family in disarray,” said Detroit political consultant Steve Hood. “You have the potential for two Conyers to go for the seat.”

Hood said not much is known about John Conyers III, who has never run for political office and could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Facebook page of John Conyers III says he is a managing partner at EIA Alpha Partners Fund Management and an owner/partner at a firm called Palette Agency. It says he attended Detroit Renaissance High School and studied at Morehouse College and New York University. 

Father's car

In 2010, John Conyers said he would reimburse the federal government for nonofficial use of his congressional vehicle by his son. That happened after the younger John Conyers told Detroit police someone stole two laptop computers and 1,000 concert tickets from the 2010 Cadillac Escalade after he parked it near Brush and Congress in downtown Detroit about midnight Nov. 24.

"I have just learned about the inappropriate use of a congressional vehicle by my son over the Thanksgiving holiday," Conyers said in a statement. "I am sorry it happened and will make sure that it does not happen again."

Police records showed the son had earlier been stopped for speeding in the same burgundy SUV.

John Conyers III, then 20, had worked in a $15-an-hour part-time job for his mother, Monica Conyers, a Detroit City Councilwoman, before she pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges.

Ian Conyers, 29, won a special election in 2016 to fill the seat vacated by state Sen. Virgil Smith, who resigned following a domestic violence scandal.

Ian Conyers has a master's degree in urban and regional planning from Georgetown University, according to information he provided to the Free Press in response to a pre-election questionnaire.

Ian Conyers has sponsored bills related to education, recreation, economic development and job training, among other issues. None have become law, which is not unusual for a first-term senator serving in the minority party.

Radio host Mildred Gaddis, who hosted John Conyers for the announcement, said Ian Conyers made "a major mistake" by pre-empting his great uncle.

"Nobody ever steps out like that in a scenario like this without talking to the family," she said. "To step out like that without consulting with some of the stakeholders in the community, it wasn’t a mature move."

Political consultant Adolph Mongo said name recognition is important in elections and all Detroiters will recognize the Conyers name, but that doesn't guarantee either man a victory.

"The brand ain't what it used to be," Mongo said.

Family controversy

The Conyers family has endured its share of controversy.

In 2009, Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. She acknowledged using her role as a Detroit City Council member and a trustee of the city's pension funds to take bribes from city vendors.

She served 37 months in a federal prison for the crime.

In 2015, Monica Conyers filed for divorce from John Conyers, her husband of 25 years, citing a breakdown in marital relations. John Conyers agreed that the marriage had broken down. The couple insisted there was "zero animosity" between them.

The divorce never went through and a year later, the pair renewed their wedding vows.

"Life is complicated and (the couple is) no different than any other family," Monica Conyers' divorce lawyer, Daniel Findling, told the Free Press at the time.

In recent days, John Conyers III spoke publicly in his father's defense when the media descended on the family's Detroit home in the wake of several former employees accusing his father of sexual harassment.

Other possible candidates for Conyers' seat include Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, former state House Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Detroit City Councilwoman Brenda Jones, and state Sens. David Knezek and Coleman Young.

Also mentioned as a possibility? Monica Conyers.

Hood said he does not expect she will run.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

John Conyers finally says he will quit Congress after new accuser says he groped her in church – but sets up a family feud for his seat

Embattled Michigan Rep. John Conyers announced his decision Tuesday to retire from Congress as he faced down new allegations of groping.

'I am retiring today. And I want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support, the incredible undiminished support I’ve received across the years,' Conyers told Michigan radio host Mildred Gaddis.

Even as he faces an Ethics investigation and growing calls to quit, Conyers endorsed his son, John Conyers III, to succeed him in the Detroit-based congressional seat.

Another relative, State Sen. Ian Conyers, has also said he'll run for the seat. 

Conyers said his own legacy on civil rights and other issues was 'absolutely not' diminished. 'My legacy can’t be compromised or diminished in any way by what w’re going through now,' Conyers said. 'This too shall pass.' 

He also issued a blanket denunciation of charges brought by women against him.

+5

Michigan Rep. John Conyers, 88, plans to announce his retirement as he faces sexual harassment allegations. He is the longest-serving member of the House

'Whatever they are, they are not accurate or they’re not true and I think that they’re something that I can’t explain where they came from,' Conyers said.

Conyers slid in the endorsement of his son, indirectly confirming press reports that he would retire.

'I want you to know that my legacy will continue through my children. I have a great family here and especially in my oldest boy, John Conyers III who incidentally I endorsed to replace me in my seat in congress,' Conyers said. 

Conyers also praised his brother Nathan. 

At one point during the interview, there was a pause of more than 5 seconds while Conyers discussed his future. 

'I am very proud of the fact that I am the dean of the Congress and I that will continue to [pause] – yes I’m in the process of putting my retirement plans together and I will have more about that very soon,' he said.

'This goes with the issue of politics the game of politics which we’re in,' Conyers said, alluding to the problems he has faced since the emergence of sexual harassment allegations against him.

He spoke on the local show that appears on 1200 AM and WCHB on the FM dial.

The New York Times reported earlier Tuesday that Conyers would step down at the end of his term. It was not entirely clear from the longtime lawmaker's language that he was retiring 'today' if he now intends to vacate his seat immediately. 

However his lawyer, Arnold Reed, told the Detroit Free Press he was leaving the seat as of Tuesday.

Conyers' endorsement of his son raised the prospect of a family feud for the seat. Ian Conyers, the grandson of a Conyers brother, was quoted in the Times story confirming the retirement announcement in advance.

“His doctor advised him that the rigor of another campaign would be too much for him just in terms of his health,” Ian Conyers told the Times. 

Requests for confirmation from Conyers' congressional office were not immediately returned. 

'I’m in the process of putting my retirement plans together and I will have more about that very soon,' he said. 

Conyers has been facing calls to step down since it was revealed last month he paid a cash settlement out of office funds to a woman who claims he sexually harassed her. 

In the latest turn in the case, another accuser, Elisa Grubbs, says Conyers slid his hand up her skirt and rubbed her thighs while she was sitting next to him in the front row of a church.

Elisa Grubbs made the allegation in an affidavit released by her attorney, Lisa Bloom. Grubbs is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who previously broke a confidentiality agreement to speak publicly.

'He is not resigning. He is going to retire,' Conyers' great-nephew Ian, a Michigan state senator, told the New York Times, adding that he planned to run for the seat in Congress himself, suggesting Conyers would step down at the end of his term and won't seek reelection.

Conyers, 88, is already facing a House Ethics Committee inquiry.     

On Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reversed course Thursday and said embattled Rep. John Conyers should resign from Congress. 

'The allegations against congressman Conyers as we have learned more since Sunday are serious, disappointing and very credible,' said Pelosi, a California representative who notably did not call for Conyers to go during a Sunday appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

'It's very sad. The brave women who came forward are owed justice,' Pelosi continued at a Capitol press conference.

Conyers' attorney Arnold Reed told the Detroit Free Press the new allegations from Grubbs are 'another instance of tomfoolery from the mouth of Harvey Weinstein's attorney.'

Conyers flew home to his district last week and checked into the hospital for what a family consultant said was stress.

A family spokesman, Sam Riddle, attacked Conyers' accusers at the time. 'These serial accusers have done this before. We're used to it.  We don't condone sexual harassment on any level,' he said.

'But we hope that you will pray for the congressman's good health and we hope and we hope that you will also understand that there is a bitter double edged sword to those that would accuse especially, when they're serial accusers,' Riddle told reporters at the hospital.  

Conyers was rushed to a hospital just as a former aide broke her silence for the first time and spoke on the record about her accusations Conyers sexually harassed her.

Conyers' family say the veteran lawmaker is suffering from stress-related illness.   

Conyers, the longest serving member of the House of Representatives, will announce on Tuesday he does not plan to run for re-election, U.S. media said following accusations of sexual harassment against the Michigan Democrat.

Conyers is expected to make the announcement on a local radio show, the New York Times reported citing a relative. Other local media also reported the plans, citing sources close to Conyers.

His lawyer earlier said on Twitter that Conyers would make an announcement at 10:15 a.m.

The House Ethics Committee last week opened an investigation into Conyers, 88, after he said his office had resolved a harassment case of a former staffer with a payment but no admission of guilt.

Conyers has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct.

Congress has been reviewing policies on how to handle sexual harassment complaints after a string of cases involving prominent figures in the U.S. media, Hollywood and politics.

Conyers, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus who was first elected to the House in 1964, stepped down last month as the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5147409/U-S-congressman-Conyers-retire-harassment-accusations-reports.html#ixzz50VJW2cZV
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

John Conyers’ Nephew: If The Congressman Resigns Or Retires, I Will Run

 

• 
   

As Michigan Rep. John Conyers Jr. has resisted calls from within the Democratic Party to resign over allegations of sexual harassment, some people close to his grandnephew, Michigan Sen. Ian Conyers, have been asking a different question: When is the time for the 29-year-old to seriously consider running if there is a special election?

Apparently that time is now.

Reached by BuzzFeed News, Ian Conyers said he was focused on his re-election campaign for state Senate, but had given serious thought to running for his great uncle’s seat.

Ian Conyers

“If he resigns or retires, I will run for the seat,” he said. "The work of representing the working families must continue.”

The news comes amid increased uncertainty over what the elder Conyers, who is 88, will do following allegations, first reported by BuzzFeed News, that he sexually harassed women in his orbit, including an accuser, Marion Brown, who said in a televised interview that Conyers had "violated my body." Conyers has denied any allegation of sexual harassment, though he did confirm that he had reached a settlement with one woman, while denying the underlying allegations.

Conyers’ attorney on Friday struck a slightly less strident tone in discussing his client’s future than he has in previous days.

"We will discuss in the next day or so what Mr. Conyers plans to do," the attorney, Arnold Reed, said at a press conference Friday. “As you know his health is not the best, is not what it should be, he has undergone a second round of examinations. I will meet and confer with doctors and it will be Congressman John Conyers who will be the one to decide what it is he’s going to do.”

On Thursday, Ian Conyers hosted a kickoff reception for his re-election campaign in Detroit. A former Democratic Party treasurer for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, Conyers was a regional field director for Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign and is considered one of the rising stars in Michigan Democratic politics.

While it still may not be certain whether Conyers will resign or retire, colleagues have said that much of his fate lies with his constituents; the Congressional Black Caucus has said that choosing to retire is his decision to make, though some Democrats in Congress have said that he should resign.

“Nothing will happen to Conyers if his constituents have their way,” Joe DiSano, a Michigan-based Democratic strategist, told BuzzFeed News. “They love him. When Conyers becomes a burden to his colleagues is when he hits the bricks. Of course, more revelations about other members may make this seem tame by next week. This is just the first shot. Certainly, more to come.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©