House Democratic leaders on Thursday joined a growing list of congressional Democrats who are calling on Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.) to resign from Congress after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.
Two of the most notable lawmakers to call for Conyers' resignation are House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D., S.C.), the House's highest ranking African American, the Washington Post reported.
"I pray for Congressman Conyers and his family and wish them well," Pelosi said. "However, Congressman Conyers should resign."
Rep. Kathleen Rice (D., N.Y.) was the first Democrat to say that Conyers, 88, should resign, calling the allegations levied against him "as credible as they are repulsive" in a statement last week.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.) became the second Democratic lawmaker to call for Conyers' resignation on Tuesday.
"I believe these women, I see the pattern, and there is only one conclusion—Rep. Conyers must resign," she said in a statement after describing how she "looked up to" Conyers "for decades."
With Pelosi's statement on Thursday, several more Democratic lawmakers came out to say that Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House, should step down.
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) and Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley (D., N.Y.) called on Conyers to resign, as did Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Dan Kildee (Mich.), and David Cicilline (R.I.).
The head of a powerful liberal super PAC said Thursday that both Conyers and Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.), who also has been accused of sexual misconduct, should step down.
"This is not complicated," Priorities USA Chairman Guy Cecil tweeted, according to the Post. "Conyers should resign. Franken should resign ... Hypocrisy on the other side doesn't justify hypocrisy on our side. Period."
On the Republican side, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) said Thursday that Conyers should "resign immediately."
A flurry of resignation calls came on Thursday after one of Conyers' former staffers, Marion Brown, appeared on NBC's "Today" alleging the Michigan Democrat subjected her to years of sexual harassment.
Multiple former female staffers in Conyers' office have accused the lawmaker of sexually harassing them. BuzzFeed News first reported last week that Conyers settled a sexual harassment claim with a woman, who turned out to be Brown, for $27,000 in 2015. At least three other former staffers then came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Conyers, claiming that the congressman engaged in inappropriate behavior while they worked for him.
Conyers, who stepped down as the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee amid the accusations, confirmed the 2015 settlement but has denied all allegations of sexual harassment.
The House Ethics Committee is currently investigating the sexual harassment claims against Conyers.