WASHINGTON _ Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., announced Sunday that he was relinquishing his House committee position after allegations that he sexually harassed female staffers.
The announcement came shortly after House minority leader Nancy Pelosi repeatedly called on the Michigan Democrat to "do the right thing." At the same time, she said he deserved due process.
Conyers, who has denied the allegations, said in a statement that he was stepping down as ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee while he faces an ethics investigation.
He said the investigation and the allegations are a distraction to the work of the committee, which he noted handles civil rights cases and voting rights.
Pelosi, of California, defended Conyers as an "icon" who had worked in defense of women over the years. Asked if she believed his accusers, she said it was up to the ethics committee to determine that.
"I believe he will do the right thing," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
The website BuzzFeed reported last week that Conyers' office paid $27,000 in 2015 to settle a complaint from a woman who said she was fired after rejecting his sexual advances.
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