Comments by SC's Jim Clyburn on sexual harassment draw conservative ire | The State

Conservatives quickly criticized U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn this week for statements the Columbia Democrat made in response to sexual harassment charges against a fellow Democratic congressman.

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat and the longest serving member of the U.S. House, is currently being investigated by the U.S. House Ethics Committee after BuzzFeed News first reported the 88-year-old representative settled a wrongful termination complaint in 2015 by a staffer who accused him of sexual harassment.

Clyburn, the third longest-serving Democrat in the House of Representatives, told The New York Times Tuesday he was unsure whether the claims against Conyers “have any real substance.”

“You can’t jump to conclusions with these type of things,” Clyburn told The Times. “For all I know, all of this could be made up.”

Conyers has denied the allegations.

But conservatives, including Ari Fleischer — former President George W. Bush’s press secretary and a Fox News contributor — said Clyburn’s response showed Democrats operating on a double standard after hounding President Donald Trump for publicly voicing support for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

Moore, a Republican, is accused of sexual misconduct toward teenage girls when he was in his 30s. The story was first reported by The Washington Post.

“If the Democrats are going to jump on Donald Trump for not believing the accusers of Roy Moore, they need to jump on James Clyburn for defending John Conyers,” Fleischer told Fox Business Wednesday. “You can’t have it both ways.”

Later Wednesday, Clyburn tweeted that any claims of sexual harassment are very serious and can’t be tolerated.

“The allegations against Congressman John Conyers are very disturbing, and I am aware he has emphatically denied them,” Clyburn wrote. “The House Ethics Committee should conduct a prompt, deliberate and thorough investigation.”

Conyers is the latest elected official under intense scrutiny from colleagues and the public for allegations of sexual misconduct.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Al Franken apologized and called for an ethics investigation after a Los Angeles radio personality, Leeann Tweeden, said the Minnesota Democrat kissed and groped her without her consent during a 2006 overseas tour.