Good evening. Afternoon. Thank you all for being here. Fold. S two mary brown has been on local radio, i believe of few hours ago, saying that the congressman was a predator, saying that he took every opportunity to sexually harass and basically to assault her. I was on a couple of National Networks and that is not true. What she has forgotten or omitted in telling you all is that when she worked for the congressman, she had her sister working there as well strike that she had her daughter, she had her daughter working there and another family member. She says that she was 40 something years old, she needs a job, was a single mother, this, that, and the other. We understand that. But when you bring your daughter into a situation that you describe that is completely hell, again, it is fundamentally incongruous that resembles logic and truth. In addition, mr. Conyers averts asserts he has done nothing wrong and for some reason the tide has turned where some people are saying, not all, that he is bashing because he is defending himself. He will continue to defend himself until the cows come home. Because unequivocally, unmitigatingly, he says he has indicated he has not sexually harassed anyone. So you have to ask yourself those questions about why is it that you bring your daughter into an environment that is hostile . And you ask him to hire another relative, a niece . So you have to ask those questions. And this is in his defense. There are several other individuals that will come forward if necessary, a plethora of individuals. I knew that she was going to breach that confidentiality agreement. I knew she was. I expected her to do it. That is what opportunists do. And so because she has breached that agreement, we can now call her name. We can put a face to the name. What we can also put to the name is affidavits. Now these affidavits, folks, i have given them to some of you all. Some of you have printed them. Thank you for your fairness. This is the statement of james marbury. James marbury was a Security Officer in the courthouse and he was responsible for Opening Doors and locking doors and he observed the personal relationship and business relationship between the accuser and that of congressman conyers. She never reported to him any behavior that was untoward. She laughed and she joked and she was fine with congressman john conyers. But you dont see this circulating in the media. What you see is brouhaha and things that sell papers. Why . Because its not news when dog when man, it is news bites dog. This is congressman conyers life. You need to get this. Get closer. You need to see this. These are not individuals that are hiding. This is the statement of mr. Sean campbell. He worked for the congressman and the congressman fired him, fired him because he cursed at a female that called the office that needed help. Mr. Campbell indicates that he never saw anything and verified that the congressman hired the accusers daughter. But there became a problem, all hell broke loose when the congressman fired the daughter. And then all of a sudden, we get this sexual harrassment, sexual allegation problem. Heres the predator that shes talking about. At the 2011 barrister ball, she said he took every opportunity during hours to harrass her. He was an animal. But you boot up with him at the barrister ball . Come on, it doesnt work like that. But you want to get angry and mad when the congressman defends himself. This, ladies and gentlemen, i promise you, if this nonsense continues, this is just a harbinger of whats to come. And i want to thank all the media who are here, who have been that fair, who have been trying to get the other side of the story, because there is another side of the story. And there are many witnesses who will testify in favor of the congressman if it comes to it. Now with regard to mr. Conyers resignation, which is a hot topic. We will discuss in the next day or so what mr. Conyers plans to do. As you know, his health is not the best. It 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 is going to do in terms of whether hes going to continue to represent the people. Its not going to be washington. But we will meet in the next couple days, if he gets stronger, which i anticipate he will, so we can discuss these issues. The people need to know this and he is the individual that has fought for the people in this community for a number of years and we will talk very shortly. No questions right now, sir, thank you. The other thing that you need to down,we just pulled this another lawmaker, 84,000 settlement, i havent heard as much as a peep from washington as to whether this person should step down. Not even as much as a peep. So all that were saying here is we are going to ensure that this is a fair process. We are going to ensure that congressman conyers makes a decision that is not rushed, that is not hurried and the due process will be will be at the paramount of that process if it involves him testifying or whatever. He is going to get due process. So again, we will make another announcement in the coming days as to whether the congressman will continue or whether he will step aside. But that decision is not being made today. And most likely will not be made tomorrow. Because of the congressmans health. I do not want to disturb him. I want him to continue to do well and get to the point where he is ready to discuss these important issues that affect his constituents. Can you give us an update on the congressmans Health Issues . Specifically what he did yesterday . The congressman has undergone tests. I want to wait until these tests come back and the doctors will tell me where hes at and that will be the determining factor of that. Next question. I cant hear you, maam. Reporter miriam brown, is she flat out making this up . Is she lying . Is john conyers is lying . Im asking you. Are you saying john conyers is lying . Are you saying john conyers is lying . Next question. What about this payout she 27,000 and 2015, change. Why was she paid . And the bigger question you might agree with as an attorney, did that come out of his Office Holder funds and if they did, is that proper and legal, is that akin to embezzlement of those funds if those funds were used . Were used for this purpose . Embezzlement is not even the correct word in this context. Is that a proper use of those funds . Embezzlement is not the right word. You do not know what that means, respectfully. Congressman conyers has never embezzled. Do you know what that means . Taking funds from an in prosser improper process. That is not the proper definition. The House Committee is determining those issues as we speak. Can i talk . Since you dont know what embezzlement means . I do. No, you dont. No, you dont. Heres the deal, congressman conyers, the agreement has been vetted. The agreement this woman came to has been vetted. Congressman conyers couldnt have unilaterally made the decision to go somewhere and get money. That was approved, not by the congressman but by attorneys that negotiated the settlement. Next question. Attorneys for congressman conyers . No, they were House Attorneys. House attorneys approved the process that the congressman went through to reach the sinemet the settlement. You are acknowledging that the funds came from his office . Im not acknowledging anything. The House Attorneys approved it and vetted it. Next question. Have i spoken with pelosi . No, maam. No, maam. Next question. What was the settlement for . The settlement was to avoid protracted litigation, as i have indicated. It was some 20,000. The congressman didnt want the litigation going on and the accuser wanted the money and wanted to reach a resolution that included a confidentiality agreement. That was her suggestion, not the congressmans. Reporter among ms. Browns specific allegations that congressman conyers asked women to do things like babysit kids and pick up laundry. There was a gem in the general feminist is this an appropriate way for an appropriate workplace balance . That didnt happen in the congressmans office but if you are asking me in general, no, its not. Next question. Yes, maam . Reporter the settlement hasnt become public yet in the media and the second question let me answer that i cant one first. Comment on that or speculate. Go ahead. Reporter in response to the two affidavits you have released, do you know if miriam brown had a close relationship with these men . Do you think these are people she would come forward to to report . Good question. The question is whether or not miriam brown had a close relationship with these individuals who signed the affidavit and whether or not she would feel comfortable going to them and telling them about the harassment. Obviously she felt comfortable coming to the media and talking about her harassment so i would assume she wouldnt have any problem telling everyone on gods green earth about the harassment if it happened. Reporter should we be looking at a resignation announcement . In two days . Not going to say that. Im sorry. Im sorry . What im saying is im going to speak with the congressman. We are going to have discussions about what his future plans are and not going to let this languish in continue. We will have an assessment with regard to the congressmans health, see where that is, and that will be paramount in any decision that the congressman makes, not any pressure from washington. Reporter you mentioned the pressure could be political. I didnt mention the word racial. What i am telling you is this. There is a lot of pressure that has come to bear from some democrats on the congressman. In fact, they talk about expulsion. But when you look at the history of congress, there have been five expulsions. Three were during the confederacy and two where people were convicted of bribery, but they were convicted. There have been things like that bantered around. Whether or not it would have come to Something Like that, it is very difficult. You need a super majority for that. 2 3 vote. That has been bantered around but the congressman is not going to be pressured by any of that. Reporter do you plan to go ahead and file a suit against miss brown for breach of contract . No, sir. I answered that yesterday. It wouldnt be in the best interest of the congressman to be chasing around individuals who say things about him. Congressman conyers is not that kind of purses kind of person that are chases people around that say bad things about him. Reporter what is your gut feeling . Do you think he is going to resign . I cant say that. What i can say is being involved with other events and things of that nature with regard to the community, for example, we Work Together in trying to reform the prison system. There were women inmates getting pregnant by guards and whatnot. The congressman would call me at 12 00, 1 00 in the morning with ideas. He would change his mind. He would say we have to do this after further deliberations. As well as i know the congressman, i could not tell you that, but this is going to be a decision that the congressman makes about what his future will be here in the district. Yes, maam . Reporter you said he has undergone tests. Do you have an expectation about when he will be released from the hospital . I dont. In fact, you will recall yesterday that 7 00 yesterday morning he was undergoing tests and the doctors ordered another round of testing. So i dont know when he will be released but i do plan on talking to him in the next day or so. Reporter with all due respect, you say he will make a decision and a couple of days whether to resign or stepping aside and standing his ground saying he hasnt done anything wrong, why would that be under consideration . At this particular juncture, we are going to talk about what his future is. There has been nothing set as to whether he would resign or step aside, but we have to have the conversation. We are going to have that conversation in a couple of days, i anticipate. But again, the decision will be up to the congressman. When we sit and when we talk before he went to the hospital, we talked a little bit about that subject. But we reached nothing definitively. It is a natural thing with all of this going on for us to sit and talk, and im sure that subject is going to come up and rightly so. But no decision has been made. But that is something i anticipate reporter and it is on the table . It is something we will discuss, im sure. I dont know if it will be the focal point as soon as i walk in to talk to him. But i anticipate that in our talks, it will definitely come up. Reporter whens the last time you spoke with him . I spoke with the congressman a couple of days ago. Reporter you havent spoken in the last no. I am letting him rest. Reporter what are the other considerations you are taking into account about what his future will be . I would assume the congressman would think whether or not he can serve effectively , whether he can continue to do the work he has done for more than 50 years in congress. I assume that that would be at the forefront of the congressmans thought process and i believe he would do what is in the best interest of his constituents like he has always done. Reporter [indiscernible] it is too premature for me to make a statement about that. Good question, but i am not a doctor. Reporter can you talk about the 27,000 settlement . The way the settlement was done was a severance package where the accuser was able to separate. Iswas a nondisclosure, which common in employment litigation, she agreed with it and was for it, and wanted it. Reporter she is asking for the congressman to apologize. She is asking for an apology. And other people have done that. Who, like franken . Yeah. I cant speak to all of that. If the congressman hadnt done anything wrong and he is retaining that, i dont see why he should be apologize. Reporter what is their take on this. Whats her motivation . And why now . That is a very good question. And she has been on the radio explaining what her motivation was. She needed money. She was a single mom and needed to support her child and that that was the main motivation that she kept quiet. But it was omitting the fact that she brought her daughter in the congressmans office to work with the congressman and brought another one of their relatives to expose them to the man you say is your sexual harasser. So, she can give probably more information as to what her motive is. I couldnt tell you to be honest with you, other than she appears to be an opportunist. She is telling a couple different stories. And the me too movement and sexual harassment, thats important. And it is sad that we are even talking about that with unequal rights for women in this day and age. It is unfair. Women deserve to be treated with respect. Women deserve to be treated with dignity. They deserve to be treated equally. And that we stop to be talking about and battling for womens rights in this day and age shows you how far we have to come, how far we have to go. But the thing is with this accuser, i dont think they want her to be the face of this movement. I think her story is incongruent. It delegitimize is when you have serious victims of this kind of horrible conduct. Two more questions. Reporter more specifically about the congressmans health. I know you mentioned you havent spoken directly with him since yesterday but do you know if hes resting comfortably or more specifically the kind of condition that hes in right now . I cannot get into specifics. I cant elaborate or speculate at this juncture. Yes, sir. Reporter there are other allegations out there from other female aides. Have you spoken to those . I have already spoken to those. You talk about ms. Sloan and ms. Sloan never said that congressman sexually harassed her. She said the congressman spoke mean to her. And she was in the office about a month or two ago joking and laughing with the congressman and staff and volunteered to testify for the congressman on an unrelated matter the hill. When you look at that again, you have to assess the credibility and the veracity of an accuser who continues to work for the congressman and then when shes not working for the congressman is in his office laughing and joking. So you have to those things go into the consideration as to whether someone is being truthful or untruthful. Reporter briefly, when was ms. Browns daughter in the office . That was i think 2009, 2010, i believe. Reporter has the congressman talked at all about what this is doing to his legacy with these allegations . No. A lot of people have talked about that. The congressman and i havent addressed that specifically. But naturally, that is a consideration that is going to be talked about. I feel that the congressmans legacy is going to be solid. I believe that the congressmans legacy has been built over 50 years of fighting for civil rights, fighting for equal rights, and i believe that legacy will continue. Reporter has he spoken to any of his house colleagues . Im sure he has. I have been in touch with them, yes. As recently as last night, thats correct. Reporter who . Mr. Reed i am not at liberty to say. Go as far as you to say the stress of this has landed him in the hospital . I will speak to the doctors and the doctors will make an assessment whether or not this is the stress related incidents that has caused it, but it wouldnt surprise me. Obviously, if this is one of the reasons that he has these stress related issues and had to be hospitalized. I think that is a very safe assumption at this juncture. Reporter no decision will be made until mr. Reed i expect to speak with him in the very near future and tomorrow is a possibility. Again, thank you all, especially the ones that have been very, very fair, even asking the tough questions and getting the word out. You have a tough job. I used to be a journalist. I know how it is when youre dealing with sound bites, but those of you that have been very, very fair and on top of this, we really appreciate it. Were not afraid of the tough questions. Thank you so much. Thank you. Reporter can you tell us what hospital hes in . Like i told the guy yesterday, hes the same place jimmy hoffa was at, baby. [laughter] he wanted to go with the congressman to events after 5 00. You are at the barrister ball and you are taking a picture with the congressman reporter when was this . 2011. This was the 50th anniversary of the barrister ball. Does that look like work . No, it doesnt. This was a social event. I am not trying to be flippant with you and i know what she is saying, but i am telling you based on what i have learned with my interviews with people. This was an afterhours event that she wanted to go to. This is just one piece of evidence that we have to suggest that this woman is completely incredible. To says he would force her do that. He did not force her to do anything. She volunteered for a majority of these events that were after 5 00. Reporter what about the boundaries between work . If it is something that happens after work, what does it say that because she is under his employ that she feels more obligated to do Something Like that . That question is not a good question. You know, i cant even begin to speculate on that. Heres what the law says, that you cannot discriminate waste on someones race, sex, age, national origin, or marital status, and a few other categories. You cannot do that. You cannot engage in quid pro quo, you cannot engage in patterns of practice of discrimination. Like the Mcdonnell Douglas case. Did thethose congressman violate, from a social or legal perspective. Not title vii, not elliott larsen, none of that. She volunteered to come to these events because she wanted to be seen with the congressman. It wasnt about sexual harassment, she volunteered to do it. Is that legal for her to come to these events . Does that violate wage hours . Absolutely not. That is the baseline. Nothing that the congressman did was an appropriate. The only thing that is an is her seizing on her fiveminute opportunity to get out there and be the face of a movement that she doesnt deserve to be the face of the movement. Given the fact of who i have talked to and what they say about this woman and these allegations. Reporter do you agree that he is not going to step down, but now you are saying it is. Why is that . I was adamant about washington not being the harbinger of that decision. We are not going to let washington decide that. The congressman will be the one to decide that, so you are right. I was adamant, and i remain adamant they stop my last conversation with the congressman that the congress that the decision he is going to make him a not washington. Especially when you consider no one has asked al franken to step down, especially when there is oneos and admission, and no has called for al franken to step down. And we have another republican lawmaker out of texas, no one has asked him to step down. So, no. No one is trying to dictate their future employment in washington, so why was the congress why should the congressman how down to any pressure . Reporter is there a racial component . What are you implying . You have to ask nancy pelosi and the others putting pressure on the congressman and not putting pressure on these other individuals. You have to ask them whether or not they are invoking any racial elements. Be fort them, i cannot them. I just tell you what i see. Reporter to be clear, you dont recognize any difference between the zealot these allegations senatorsen. Fran franken and the congressman . Senator franken denies the elegant senator conyers denies the allegations. A different question, man. Every allegation is serious. When a female says she has been violated, that person should be tracked down and brought to justice. I have a daughter, do you understand . I have a child. Anybody that does that should be tracked down and should be brought to justice, there is no question about it. It doesnt make any difference who it is, so lets be very clear. Sexual, racial, any type of harassment is wrong. I dont know how much more clear i can be about it. When you talk about the backandforth between franken and conyers, all allegations are serious. Franken had a photo of what he was doing, franken has admitted it. No one has asked him to resign. Lets keep the narrative in perspective and accurate, ok . Arerter i am just curious, you keeping in touch with his family about his condition . Every day. Reporter and how are they dealing with all this . Under those circumstances, as well as can be expected. They are staying strong, they are standing behind the congressman as well as can be expected in these trying times congressman. Reporter would you advise him stepping down would be easier than going through an ethics investigation and adhering in which and a hearing in which he would have to testify harassment. . I would advise him of his rights. Thank you all very much. You have a good night. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the senate in session now, working on a gop tax reform plan, which also includes a repeal of the individual Health Care Mandate and oil drilling in alaska. A final passage quote is expected tonight. Watch the senate live on cspan2. Cspans washington journal , live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up saturday morning with we section set to will talk about the reauthorization. And sarah poser on the rise of the Christian Legal Advocacy GroupAlliance Defending freedom. And attorney joel winston talks about dna Testing Services and how genetic data can be used against consumers. The short to watch cspans washington journal, live at 7 00 eastern on saturday morning. Join the discussion. Join us on cspan3 this weekend for American History tv. For a few highlights, saturday at 3 00 p. M. Eastern, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the public broadcasting act, the library of congress hosts a discussion on the discussion of host a discussion with the cavett. History, thees in role of africanamerican ministers in politics and how churches helped members gain experience with organizing and running for political office. Sunday at 8 00 a. M. Eastern, recollections of the battle of midway from world war ii veterans who took part in the battle. And sunday at 4 00 p. M. Eastern, the film dreams of the quality, including a recreation of though womens rights convention. American history tv, all weekend, every weekend, only on cspan3. Telogenthe house and considers legislation to reauthorize section 702 of thfi. Had as the Intelligence Community to Access Communications of nonus persons outside the u. S. This is an hour and 15 minutes