WASHINGTON �� Nancy Pelosi said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., "will do the right thing" _ without elaborating on what that is _ in response to calls for him to step down from his committee position after allegations of sexual misconduct.
"He will do the right thing in terms of what he knows about his situation, that he's entitled to due process," Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But women are entitled to due process as well."
Pelosi, D-Calif., wouldn't say whether she would unilaterally remove the Conyers, the House's longest-serving member, from his position as top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
Pelosi, who was the first female speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011, called Conyers "an icon in our country" and said he's "done a great deal to protect women," including "great work" on the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.
She wouldn't say whether she believed Conyers' accusers.
Conyers is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual harassment after the revelation of a $27,000 settlement he reached with a former staff member who said she's been fired for rejecting his sexual advances. Conyers has acknowledged the settlement but denied any wrongdoing.
At least two more accusations have emerged, according to press reports, including one from Washington ethics lawyer and former Judiciary staffer Melanie Sloan.
A lawyer for Conyers, Arnold Reed, denied Sloan's allegations in a statement to The Washington Post and said his client will address the accusations after the holiday.
Addressing the allegations, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said, "If they're accurate, I do believe Congressman Conyers should step down." The ethics committee should "staff up if necessary" to quickly complete its work, Speier said on ABC's "This Week."
Rep, Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., York, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus that Conyers helped found, said on Nov. 22 last week that it would be "inappropriate" for Conyers to serve on the Judiciary Committee during the investigation.
Pelosi said Conyers is cooperating with the ethics investigation, which she said was the appropriate place to judge the accusations.
