Attorney Offers Signed Statements Supporting Conyers
Two witnesses share their account of time spent with Detroit representative
The attorney for Rep. John Conyers offered signed statements from two people defending interactions the Michigan Democrat had with women in light of accusations of sexual harassment.
Conyers’ attorney Arnold Reed tweeted an image of a signed statement from a man named James Marbury, who said he worked as security for the Theodore Levin Court House, where Conyers’ Detroit office is located.
Roll Call confirmed the Twitter account belongs to Reed.
Marbury’s statement said he worked under federal contract through the Department of Homeland Security between roughly 2000 to 2008.
However, Marbury’s claim that he started in 2000 is contrary to the fact that Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Marbury said he frequently witnessed interactions between Conyers and Marion Brown, one of the women who accused Conyers. Marbury said he spoke with her on numerous occasions.
“In this time period, she never appeared to be uncomfortable around Congressman Conyers, and in fact had a good professional working-relationship with Congressman Conyers,” Marbury’s statement said.
Marbury said he was not an interested party in the case.
“I have witnessed Congressman Conyers to be professional and have never witnessed him speaking in a manner that was unprofessional to any member of his staff,” he said.
Conyers has faced accusations from three women. Brown came forward on the TODAY Show on Thursday.
Similarly, Reed tweeted a signed statement from Shawn Campbell, who said he was a staffer from 2006 to 2016, saying Conyers’ accuser said she never expressed any concern to him.
“In fact, she requested that the Congressman hire her daughter,” Campbell said. “The Congressman did hire her daughter.”
Campbell’s statement said Conyers fired him for cursing at a female constituent who called asking for help.
Conyers’ office paid Brown a $27,000 settlement through his office budget rather than through money usually dispersed for claims, according to an investigation from Buzzfeed News.
Conyers returned to Detroit this week and was hospitalized.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan both called on the Michigan Democrat to resign. Conyers already stepped down as ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.