Democratic Congressman accused of using staff to baby-sit

[DomCasual]

This is despicable! No wonder you guys can't get someone in the White House! :wave:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/12/griffin.conyers/index.html

By Drew Griffin
CNN
Wednesday, April 12, 2006; Posted: 4:51 p.m. EDT (20:51 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two former staff members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan, say the longtime Detroit congressman made them baby-sit his children, run errands and work on political campaigns while they were on his congressional payroll.

Sydney Rooks, whom Conyers hired as a legal adviser in his Detroit office, recalls the lawmaker brought his two young sons into her office several times, saying, "Rooks, they're your responsibility for right now. I'll be back later."

She said later could be a few minutes or an hour. "Later could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now 8 or 9 p.m. or later in the evening and not knowing what to do with the children," she said.

Deanna Maher, who was deputy chief of staff in Conyers' Downriver office, says her baby-sitting duties turned into a stint as a full-time nanny. "He handed me the keys to his car and his house, [said] take care of my child Carl and everything," Maher told CNN from her western Michigan home.

Maher says she moved into Conyers' Detroit home. She took care of his elder son for several weeks, she says, while the congressman was in Washington and his wife attended law classes in Oklahoma.

Maher, Rooks and two other staffers have filed complaints against their former boss with the U.S. House of Representatives' ethics committee. In 2004, one of those complaints initiated an informal investigation, but a senior congressional aide said that the probe was stopped abruptly.

In his 21st term in the House, Conyers is the second most senior member of Congress. He is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

CNN made several attempts recently to reach the congressman to answer these former staffers' allegations. Last week, Conyers declined to answer questions about duties assigned to his staff.

"I've been told not to discuss them because we haven't examined them," Conyers said of allegations in a hallway outside a congressional hearing room. "And I have an attorney."

CNN also placed several calls to Conyers' attorney, Stanley Brand, but they were not returned.

Aside from the baby-sitting allegations, one of the most serious complaints includes former staff members' accusations that they were ordered to work on political campaigns. The ex-employees say they used congressional staff time to work on local elections in Michigan, including a campaign for Conyers' wife, Monica, who is the Detroit City Council's president pro tem.

Sam Riddle, a spokesman for Monica Conyers, said the councilwoman "denies that any of the congressman's staff helped with her campaign." Riddle called the former staff members "disgruntled employees who couldn't cut it in the work force." Melanie Sloan, who once worked for the congressman herself, says she is not surprised about the allegations or about the apparent lack of response from the House ethics committee.

Sloan now heads the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. In the case of ethics, she said neither conservatives nor liberals on Capitol Hill are held accountable.

"That's because there's an ethics truce, " Sloan said. "Both parties will deny this, but there is in fact a truce that's been in existence since 1998. And under the terms of the truce nobody will file a complaint against a member of the other party."

Former Rep. Chris Bell, D-Texas, briefly broke the truce and filed a complaint against Rep. Tom DeLay after suffering an electoral defeat as a result of an redistricting plan engineered by DeLay.

The House ethics committee does have the power to vote for an investigation to be launched against another member of Congress. In the case of Conyers, the committee has not voted to launch an investigation.

[Hotrod]

The dems have no morals :nono:

[alkemical]

yeah, maybe they can hire some pedophelia repubs to watch kids on capitol hill

[Hotrod]

Ha! nothing but net

[alkemical]

:)

[DomCasual]

yeah, maybe they can hire some pedophelia repubs to watch kids on capitol hill
The guy that works at the convenience store across from the Smithsonian says he's Republican, and he looks kind of creepy. Should we check him against that list that's getting sent around?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Oh my.

This is damning stuff, indeed.

Move over, Scooter, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Michael Brown, et al.

;D

[Swedish Extrovert]

Oh my.

This is damning stuff, indeed.

Move over, Scooter, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Michael Brown, et al.

;D


LOL

[GonzoLays]

http://www3.telus.net/planetkevin/files/ForumPics/gay_thread.jpg

[DomCasual]

http://www3.telus.net/planetkevin/files/ForumPics/gay_thread.jpg
Dude, the thread was meant to be lighthearted.

But the irony of you being critical of a thread for being stupid just made it all worthwhile. Congratulations.

[Spider]

This is dispicable! No wonder you guys can't get someone in the White House! :wave:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/12/griffin.conyers/index.html

y Drew Griffin
CNN
Wednesday, April 12, 2006; Posted: 4:51 p.m. EDT (20:51 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two former staff members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan, say the longtime Detroit congressman made them baby-sit his children, run errands and work on political campaigns while they were on his congressional payroll.

Sydney Rooks, whom Conyers hired as a legal adviser in his Detroit office, recalls the lawmaker brought his two young sons into her office several times, saying, "Rooks, they're your responsibility for right now. I'll be back later."

She said later could be a few minutes or an hour. "Later could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now 8 or 9 p.m. or later in the evening and not knowing what to do with the children," she said.

Deanna Maher, who was deputy chief of staff in Conyers' Downriver office, says her baby-sitting duties turned into a stint as a full-time nanny. "He handed me the keys to his car and his house, [said] take care of my child Carl and everything," Maher told CNN from her western Michigan home.

Maher says she moved into Conyers' Detroit home. She took care of his elder son for several weeks, she says, while the congressman was in Washington and his wife attended law classes in Oklahoma.

Maher, Rooks and two other staffers have filed complaints against their former boss with the U.S. House of Representatives' ethics committee. In 2004, one of those complaints initiated an informal investigation, but a senior congressional aide said that the probe was stopped abruptly.

In his 21st term in the House, Conyers is the second most senior member of Congress. He is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

CNN made several attempts recently to reach the congressman to answer these former staffers' allegations. Last week, Conyers declined to answer questions about duties assigned to his staff.

"I've been told not to discuss them because we haven't examined them," Conyers said of allegations in a hallway outside a congressional hearing room. "And I have an attorney."

CNN also placed several calls to Conyers' attorney, Stanley Brand, but they were not returned.

Aside from the baby-sitting allegations, one of the most serious complaints includes former staff members' accusations that they were ordered to work on political campaigns. The ex-employees say they used congressional staff time to work on local elections in Michigan, including a campaign for Conyers' wife, Monica, who is the Detroit City Council's president pro tem.

Sam Riddle, a spokesman for Monica Conyers, said the councilwoman "denies that any of the congressman's staff helped with her campaign." Riddle called the former staff members "disgruntled employees who couldn't cut it in the work force." Melanie Sloan, who once worked for the congressman herself, says she is not surprised about the allegations or about the apparent lack of response from the House ethics committee.

Sloan now heads the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. In the case of ethics, she said neither conservatives nor liberals on Capitol Hill are held accountable.

"That's because there's an ethics truce, " Sloan said. "Both parties will deny this, but there is in fact a truce that's been in existence since 1998. And under the terms of the truce nobody will file a complaint against a member of the other party."

Former Rep. Chris Bell, D-Texas, briefly broke the truce and filed a complaint against Rep. Tom DeLay after suffering an electoral defeat as a result of an redistricting plan engineered by DeLay.

The House ethics committee does have the power to vote for an investigation to be launched against another member of Congress. In the case of Conyers, the committee has not voted to launch an investigation.

LOL what would realy be funny is if they had a investigation that costed a few mill ........ good find though

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

LOL what would realy be funny is if they had a investigation that costed a few mill ........

Well, normally the rule is that oral sex has to be involved, but I'm sure the repugs would be willing to make an exception for something this heinous.

;D

[baja]

OMG what's next having these ades making coffee. What's this country coming to.

[Play2win]

Well, normally the rule is that oral sex has to be involved, but I'm sure the repugs would be willing to make an exception for something this heinous.

;D
Yeah, but if its Oral Sex with little boys it doesn't count, or atleast it doesn't count if you're a republican...

[Spider]

did we realy have to go there ? it was a fun light hearted jab ........ are we so jaded that we cant take a joke ?

[Garcia Bronco]

This has nothing to do with dems, republicans, left, or right and everything to do with ****ty parenting.

[gunns]

This has nothing to do with dems, republicans, left, or right and everything to do with ****ty parenting.

Amen! Another example of why do some people have children.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

This has nothing to do with dems, republicans, left, or right and everything to do with ****ty parenting.
So what are you saying, are you calling me a ****ty parent for leaving my kids at the Chucky Cheese when I go fishing?

[Garcia Bronco]

Amen! Another example of why do some people have children.

I mean really. Why have them if you don't want to raise them.

[baja]

I mean really. Why have them if you don't want to raise them.

Well if you are repub for your sexual pleasure

[RaiderH8r]

So what are you saying, are you calling me a ****ty parent for leaving my kids at the Chucky Cheese when I go fishing?
Yes. I, on the other hand, used to leave them with their mother. But apparently child services frown on children in strip clubs. WTF am I to do?

[bendog]

Yes. I, on the other hand, used to leave them with their mother. But apparently child services frown on children in strip clubs. WTF am I to do?
Buy a shaved ice concession and put the little ones to work making some gelt.

[Mile High Shack]

Well if you are repub for your sexual pleasure

no, no, no

we use OTHER people's children for our pleasure, not our own :thanku:

[Hotrod]

Dude, the thread was meant to be lighthearted.

But the irony of you being critical of a thread for being stupid just made it all worthwhile. Congratulations.

You'll have to excuse gonzo he has the personality of a 2x4 Ha!

[RaiderH8r]

You'll have to excuse gonzo he has the personality of a 2x4 Ha!
And only half the intellect.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Well if you are repub for your sexual pleasure

If you are a Dem, you just induce labor a little early, stick some scissors into their soft skull while he/she is still alive, chop up the brain matter, suck it out with a vacuum hose, harvest whatever you can use of the body, and then throw it in the trash.

Then you shrug off the fact that you killed your own child and it's back to the women's upward mobility movement.:thumbs:

[alkemical]

actually, you'd use the fetal tissue to spread on toast to prevent disease, or a more potent form of rogain or viagra.

[epicSocialism4tw]

actually, you'd use the fetal tissue to spread on toast to prevent disease, or a more potent form of rogain or viagra.


Hey...fetal stem cells are the cure-all for everything arent they? At least that's what they are trying to sell us.

[Play2win]

Well if you are repub for your sexual pleasure
Well, you know, it is possible to have sexual pleasure without having kids... ::)

[Mile High Shack]

Hey...fetal stem cells are the cure-all for everything arent they? At least that's what they are trying to sell us.

they cured my fear of children

I ate some fetuses and I no longer fear them

[epicSocialism4tw]

they cured my fear of children

I ate some fetuses and I no longer fear them

That'll do it every time.

[Mile High Shack]

That'll do it every time.

it also gave me the ability to leap tall building in a single bound

[alkemical]

I like my vita-jam

[epicSocialism4tw]

it also gave me the ability to leap tall building in a single bound

...and then to regenerate spinal cord tissue when you break your neck on the landing...(okay, cheesy science joke, I know) :flower:

[alkemical]

seriously though, if they can grow organs for people - why not use science for what it's for - ya know

[Mile High Shack]

...and then to regenerate spinal cord tissue when you break your neck on the landing...(okay, cheesy science joke, I know) :flower:

reminds me of that southpark episode was fighting against HACK-MAN and Reeves was eating fetuses and got to walk again and had superpowers

[epicSocialism4tw]

reminds me of that southpark episode was fighting against HACK-MAN and Reeves was eating fetuses and got to walk again and had superpowers

That is hilarious !

[epicSocialism4tw]

seriously though, if they can grow organs for people - why not use science for what it's for - ya know

You dont have to harvest babies to grow organs.

Stem cell research is mainly for trying to regenerate CNS tissue right now. The idea of having to gather stem cells only from fetuses is nothing but a sales pitch by the abortion lobby. There are other ways to get that done.

[alkemical]

You dont have to harvest babies to grow organs.

Stem cell research is mainly for trying to regenerate CNS tissue right now. The idea of having to gather stem cells only from fetuses is nothing but a sales pitch by the abortion lobby. There are other ways to get that done.


who said stem cells come only from aborted fetus's? Left over placenta material, umbilical cords, etc -

[epicSocialism4tw]

who said stem cells come only from aborted fetus's? Left over placenta material, umbilical cords, etc -

You didnt say it, but I thought that I would go ahead and get that out of the way! :angel:

[alkemical]

You didnt say it, but I thought that I would go ahead and get that out of the way! :angel:


honestly, the way i see it is - abortion will NOT go away. you make it illeagal, you create a black market.

I honestly think you need to take it almost on a case by case basis. I think the states should handle the issue and not the fed gov't.

Maybe for those that would be health issues, etc - you can use the 'material' that way - either way this area of science is too rich not to pass up.

[RaiderH8r]

Well, you know, it is possible to have sexual pleasure without having kids... ::)
But not nearly as much fun.