Rep. John Conyers accused of sexual misconduct by another woman as ethics committee launches probe

— -- Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., was accused of sexual misconduct by a second woman earlier this year, as he faces a new ethics investigation after denying a separate report that alleges he sexually harassed a female aide, leading to a reported five-figure payout funded by taxpayers.

"The committee is aware of public allegations that Representative John Conyers, Jr. may have engaged in sexual harassment of members of his staff, discriminated against certain staff on the basis of age, and used official resources for impermissible personal purposes," Reps. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., and Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the chair and ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, announced today. "The committee ... has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding these allegations." Conyers is already under investigation by the ethics committee for a separate matter pertaining to his former chief of staff.

Conyers, the longest-serving current member in the House of Representatives, said in a statement that he “expressly and vehemently” denies the allegations, which were first reported by Buzzfeed.

On Monday, BuzzFeed published a report that said Conyers' office paid a female aide more than $27,000 as part of a confidentiality agreement to settle a complaint.

In his statement, Conyers, 88, said that his office “resolved the allegations,” though with an “express denial of liability, in order to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation.”

“The resolution was not for millions of dollars, but rather for an amount that equated to a reasonable severance payment,” Conyers said.

A second woman accused Conyers of sexual misconduct, outlined in court documents whose details were first published Tuesday by BuzzFeed.

Conyers' longtime scheduler filed a complaint in federal court earlier this year alleging "sexual advances in the form of inappropriate comments and touches" that were so frequent "that they created a hostile work environment." She says in the filings, which were obtained by ABC News, that she's known Conyers since 2006 and began working as a scheduler in 2015. The woman alleges the repeated harassment led her to suffer “insomnia, anxiety, depression and chest pains.” She eventually requested sick leave in 2016, but when she wouldn't provide medical documents explaining the reason for her sick leave, her position was terminated. The woman says in the filings she didn't want to provide the documents because of an “atmosphere of mistrust.”

In the filings, the woman asked the court to keep the complaint under seal to protect her privacy. The judge rejected that request, and then the woman dropped the case.

Asked for comment on the scheduler's complaint, Conyers' spokesperson told ABC News: “[The former staffer] voluntarily decided to drop her case.”

And on Wednesday night, a third woman, Melanie Sloan, went on the record with the Washington Post saying Conyers verbally abused her and once summoned her to his office, where she found him dressed in his underwear.

“I was pretty taken aback to see my boss half-dressed," Sloan told the newspaper. "I turned on my heel and I left,” she said.

In an interview with ABC News Wednesday night, Conyers' lawyer, Arnold E. Reed, denied Sloan's allegations.

Prior to the ethics committee's announcement, several Democrats demanded an investigation, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. -- two of Conyers’ colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee -- as well as Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.

“As members of Congress, we each have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the House of Representatives and to ensure a climate of dignity and respect, with zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, bullying or abuse,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “As I have said before, any credible allegation of sexual harassment must be investigated by the ethics committee.”

Speier called into question the amount of money that is used to settle sexual harassment cases, and whether members have used their taxpayer-funded office budgets “to make settlements under the guise of severance payments."

"If this is true, the amount of taxpayer money used to settle these cases is even higher than the number that’s been provided by the Office of Compliance,” she said.

Lofgren released her own statement on the allegations, writing, “The reports about Congressman Conyers are as serious as they get. The Committee on Ethics should take up this matter immediately with a goal of promptly assessing the validity of the news account. This reported behavior cannot be tolerated in the House of Representatives or anywhere else.”

Conyers pledged to “fully cooperate with an investigation” before the committee's announcement Tuesday afternoon.

“The process must be fair to both the employee and the accused. The current media environment is bringing a much-needed focus to the important issue of preventing harassment in workplaces across the country,” he said. “However, equally important to keep in mind in this particular moment is the principle of due process and that those accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until an investigation establishes otherwise. In our country, we strive to honor this fundamental principle that all are entitled to due process.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called the Conyers report “extremely troubling,” and pointed to an ongoing review of “all policies and procedures related to workplace harassment and discrimination.”

“People who work in the House deserve and are entitled to a workplace without harassment or discrimination,” Ryan stated.

Although BuzzFeed reports that the settlement was paid during John Boehner’s tenure as House speaker, Boehner spokesman Dave Schnittger said the Ohio Republican was not aware of the Conyers settlement.

"Speaker Boehner was not aware of this,” Schnittger said, adding that he asked Boehner about it today.

Pelosi said she was not aware of the settlement.

“The current process includes the signing of non-disclosure agreements by the parties involved. Congresswoman Jackie Speier has introduced legislation that will provide much-needed transparency on these agreements and make other critical reforms,” Pelosi said in a statement. “I strongly support her efforts.”

A spokesman did not immediately say whether Pelosi supports stripping Conyers of his post as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Conyers' home newspaper, the Detroit Free Press, called for the representative to resign in a Wednesday column by the paper's editorial board, saying "whatever Conyers' eventual legacy will be, his tenure as a member of Congress must end -- now."

But Conyers is rebuffing calls to resign, according to his lawyer. Reed said in a statement Wednesday night, "Congressman Conyers has no plans to resign ... Congressman Conyers has always maintained his innocence in the face of these allegations."

"If people were required to resign over allegations, a lot of people would be out of work in this country, including many members of the House, Senate and even the president," Reed said.

As Roy Moore and President Trump have previously done when dismissing accusations against them, Reed cited the amount of time that has passed since the alleged incidents are said to have occurred.

Reed says Conyers will have a press conference next week to address the claims.