John Conyers

John Conyers, Jr. has been a Democratic member of the  U.S. House of Representatives,  representing Michigan's 14th District, since 1965. The 14th district includes all of Highland Park and Hamtramck, as well as parts of Detroit and Dearborn.

Iraq War
Conyers voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

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Position on tobacco issues
An examination of tobacco industry documents shows Rep. Conyers has long been solidly on the side of public health on tobacco issues.

In July 1987 he co-sponsored a bill to give the Consumer Product Safety Commission authority to regulate the safety of tobacco and tobacco products. The same year, he co-sponsored the Donnelly bill (H.R.2606) that would have amended the Internal Revenue Code to disaIlow deductions for advertising expenses for tobacco products or alcoholic beverages.

In February 1989, he co-signed the Toricelli bill (H.R. 561) to amend the Federal Aviation Act to prohibit smoking on domestic commercial aircraft flights.

In 1990, Rep. Conyers wrote the preface to a booklet advising citizens about how to get rid of tobacco and alcohol billboards in their neighborhoods, citing the higher prevalence of these billboards in minority neighborhoods and calling the ads "24 hour-a-day drug promotions."

On June 30, 1998 Rep. Conyers publicly released highly embarasssing excerpts from tobacco industry marketing documents from the Mangini lawsuit that described marketing to minorities and youth. The documents revealed cigarette companies' exploitation of the lack of understanding of health issues surrounding cigarettes, marketing to youth as young as 14 years of age, and more. 

Transparency legislation
On May 24, 2007, the House considered the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (H.R.2316), sponsored by Rep. Conyers, designed to provide more rigorous requirements with respect to disclosure and enforcement of lobbying laws and regulations. Specifically, the bill would:
 * Ban former members of Congress, employees of Congress and executive branch officials from returning to Congress as a registered lobbyist for two years after leaving service or employment.
 * Require that if a member wants to negotiate for a job as a lobbyist while still in office, the member must wait until his or her predecessor has been elected or must file with the Clerk within three days of when negotiations began.
 * Require lobbyists to file quarterly disclosure statements, rather than the semiannual reporting previously required. Firms would need to certify that they have not and their employees have not provided, requested or directed a gift, including travel to a member of Congress or an officer or employee of the House or Senate in violation of rules governing such gifts.
 * Require lobbyists offering contributions to report on a quarterly basis. This would include the name of the recipient, employer (House of Senate), names of political committees established or administered by the lobbyist, and the name of each federal candidate or officeholder, leadership PAC or political party committee to whom total contributions exceed $200. Also to be reported is the amounts spent to pay the cost of an event to honor or recognize a legislative branch official or executive branch official. Cost of meetings, retreats, conferences or such events must be disclosed.
 * Require that gifts and travel provided may not be done if the person offering has knowledge that the gift or travel may not be accepted under the House rules.
 * State that any member or employee attempting to influence on the basis of partisan political affiliation may be fined or imprisoned for not more than 15 years or both and may be disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust or profit in the US.
 * Require that a Member prohibit all staff employed by him or her from having any official contact with the Member’s spouse if the spouse is a lobbyist or employed by a lobbying firm for the purpose of influencing legislation.

The bill passed the House 396-22.

Support for gun control
Conyers cosponsored H.R. 1312 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005) on May 12, 2005.

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007
On May 3, the House considered a bill, sponsored by Rep. Conyers to provide federal assistance to states, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes.

Under the bill, hate crimes would be those determined to be motivated by prejudice towards race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability. Grants to state, local and tribal enforcement agencies would be authorized to help with investigative expenses and training and to combat hate crimes committed by and against youth. Previously, the law only included race, color, religion or national origin as protected groups. Grants would bring technical, forensic and prosecutorial assistance to law enforcement agencies if a violent crime was motivated by prejudice towards protected classes. Grants would also cover “extraordinary” expenses of such investigations and could be used to train local law enforcement in identifying, investigating, prosecuting and preventing hate crimes. Grants could not exceed $100,000 per jurisdiction per year. The bill passed, 237-180.

Downing Street memo
On May 5, 2005, Conyers and 88 other members of Congress wrote an open letter to the White House inquiring about a leaked memo which revealed an apparent secret agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom to attack Iraq in 2002. The Times, a British national newspaper, reported that newly-discovered documents reveal British and U.S. intentions to invade Iraq and leaders of the two countries had "discussed creating pretextual justifications for doing so". The documents go on to say that Tony Blair decided the U.S. would need to "create" conditions to justify the war.

The Downing Street memo story broke in the United Kingdom, but has not received much coverage in the United States, prompting Conyers to lament: "This should not be allowed to fall down the memory hole during wall-to-wall coverage of the Michael Jackson trial and a runaway bride."

CNN picked up the story on May 12 and Fox News had a story two weeks later on June 1.

Conyers et. al are seriously considering sending a congressional investigation delegation to London. 

What Went Wrong In Ohio
In May, 2005, Conyers released What Went Wrong In Ohio: The Conyers Report On The 2004 Presidential Election, which discusses the voting irregularities in the state of Ohio during the 2004 Presidential Election. The evidence offered of wrong-doing consists of statistical abnormalities in the differences between exit poll results and actual votes registered at those locations. The book also discusses reports of faulty electronic voting machines and the lack of credibility of those machines used to tally votes.

The Constitution In Crisis
On December 20, 2005, Conyers released The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retributions and Cover-ups in the Iraq War, an edited collection of information intending to serve as evidence that the Bush Administration altered intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq|Iraq.

The Constitution in Crisis examines much of the evidence presented by the Bush Administration prior to the invasion and questions the credibility of their sources of intelligence. Additionally, the document investigates the conditions which led to the torture scandal in Abu Ghraib as well as further evidence of torture having been committed, but not made known to the public. Finally, the document reports on a series of 'smear tactics' purported to be used by the administration in dealing with its adversaries.

The document calls for the censure of President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.

On June 31, 2006, Conyers released The Constitution in Crisis: With 26 Laws Implicated by Administration Misconduct, Its Long Past Time for Real Checks and Balances. This report summarizes an unreleased document, by giving details about the activities of the Bush administration. The report claims that their behavior was not legal by detailing 26 laws that he accuses the executive branch of breaking.

Impeachment of President George W. Bush
On December 18, 2005, Conyers introduced a resolution (H. Res. 635) that would create a special House committee to investigate a variety of allegations against President Bush and possibly make a recommendation to the full House that the allegations merit impeachment. It was assigned to the House Committee on Rules, where the committee's chairman in the 109th Congress, Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), did not bring it up for a vote. The resolution would create a committee to investigate the following:
 * Actions by the White House, National Security Council, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Central Intelligence Agency related to United Nations and Iraq Survey Group inspections of Iraq.
 * Knowledge of Iraq's ability regarding and intentions toward, or lack of ability regarding or intentions toward, nuclear weapons capability.
 * Knowledge regarding Iraq's possession of or attempted possession of, or regarding the lack of possession of or attempted possession of, chemical or biological weapons.
 * Knowledge of Iraq's possession of aluminum tubes for conventional rocket programs or for nuclear weapons development.
 * Knowledge regarding Iraq's intent, or lack of intent, toward acquiring yellowcake uranium from Niger.
 * Knowledge of any involvement, or lack of involvement, by Iraq in the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States.
 * Knowledge of any connections or ties, or of any lack of connections or ties, between Iraq and al Qaeda.
 * Knowledge of any meeting, or lack of any meeting, between Iraqi intelligence officials and Mohammed Atta (the lead hijacker on September 11, 2001) in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
 * Preparations for detention, interrogation and treatment of detainees, or lack thereof, made in the planning stages of the Iraq conflict prior to March 19, 2003,
 * Knowledge of abuses and mistreatment of detainees during the Iraq conflict after March 19, 2003,
 * The investigation of abuses and mistreatment, or lack thereof, the results of these investigations, any sanctions or punishment of offenders, and any efforts to keep these reports either from supervisors, officials or the public,
 * An examination of all prison facilities, including the High Value Detainee facility at Baghdad airport and secret prisons or "black sites" for detaining individuals outside the United States.
 * The extent to which civilian, military, or intelligence officials expressly authorized, willingly ignored, or created an atmosphere that condoned the abuses and mistreatment that occurred at Abu Ghraib, Iraq.
 * Knowledge on the part of any White House officials of the covert identity of Valerie Plame Wilson and any discussion or communication by such officials with members of the media about such identity, and any failure to enforce Executive Order 12958.

In May 2006, Conyers announced that he was no longer interested in pursuing impeachment. He stated:

"So, rather than seeking impeachment, I have chosen to propose comprehensive oversight of these alleged abuses. The oversight I have suggested would be performed by a select committee made up equally of Democrats and Republicans and chosen by the House speaker and the minority leader."

Following the Democratic victory in 2006, Conyers responded to Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) promise not to pursue impeachment. He stated, "I am in total agreement with her on this issue...Impeachment is off the table." On December 4, 2006, Congresspedia contacted Conyers' office to confirm that the incoming-chairman had no intention of reintroducing his bill in the 110th Congress. A spokesperson confirmed that he did not.

Ethics Complaints
In complaints made to a House Ethics Committee meeting released on March 2, 2006, three former aides who worked for Conyers were allegedly used as babysitters and valets, instead of working in his offices for governmental purposes.

The allegations range from babysitting, to tutoring Conyers' children, and chauferring him to private functions, as well as paying for bills at hotels and restaurants. According to a Detroit Free Press article, one aide reported that she picked Conyers' kids up from school, drove them home, helped with their homework, made dinner, and set them to bed while on the congressional salary.

Conyers' lawyer has stated that they have been "fully forthcoming" on the allegations in the committee report.

House Judiciary Committee
As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee during the 110th Congress, Conyers created a panel task force on antitrust issues. The committee was set to begin on February 28, 2007 with a hearing featuring Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin. 

Letter to Alberto Gonzales
On July 24, Conyers, along with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales addressing the severe budget shortages found in many U.S. Attorney offices throughout the country. The letter noted several examples which the congressmen felt were cause for concern. In Los Angeles, for example, they cited that 40 of the 190 assistant U.S. Attorney positions in California’s Central District were currently vacant. In addition, two federal offices began charging defendants for copies of documents. In another office, an electronic lock was placed on the supply closet, requiring prosecutors to fill out paperwork in order to get stationary supplies. The congressmen also argued that budget shortages have led to a decrease in prosecutions on lesser felonies by the federal government. Given the fact that funding for U.S. Attorney office actually rose in previous years, the congressmen wrote the letter hoping for some answers by Attorney General Gonzales. 

Request for information on Libby commutation
On July 8, 2007, Conyers requested that the White House come forward and waive executive privilege to let White House pardon lawyers testify in Congress on the commutation of "Scooter" Libby’s prison sentence. Conyers commented on This Week with George Stephanopoulos that “the suspicion was that if Mr. Libby went to prison, he might further implicate other people in the White House... This is why we’ve written the president, inviting him to do what President Clinton did, and namely to bring forward any of his pardon lawyers or anyone that can put a clear light on this and put this kind of feeling, that is fairly general, to rest.”

Bio
Conyers was born May 16, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan. He received both his B.A. (1957) and his J.D. from Wayne State University (1958). He served in the National Guard (1948-1950), United States Army (1950-1954), and United States Army Reserves (1954-1957). He was a staff member for Rep. John D. Dingell, Jr., of Michigan from 1958-1961. He also worked as the general counsel for three labor locals in Detroit (1959-1964) before being elected to Congress in 1964. .

Congressional career
Conyers was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1964, making him the second most senior member. As such, he has witnessed many historic moments. In 1971, he was one of the original members of Nixon's Enemies List. Conyers was a member of the Judiciary Committee during the committee's 1974 Watergate hearings, and civil rights icon Rosa Parks served on Conyers' staff between 1965 and 1988.

Conyers is a leading figure in the Democratic Party and the Congressional Black Caucus, and is currently Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. "He is one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and is considered the Dean of that group. Formed in 1969, the CBC was founded to strengthen African-American law makers' ability to address the legislative concerns of Black and minority citizens." 

According to the National Journal, Conyers is considered, along with Pete Stark, to be one of the most liberal members of Congress.

He appeared in Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 discussing the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, stating that members of Congress "don't read most of the bills".

Conyers frequently posts at Daily Kos and Democratic Underground. Since May 2005 he's been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.

Conyers, the Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, is the leader of the Downing Street Memo Campaign. (See Record and controversies above).

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Chad Miles to face Conyers in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Conyers retained his seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on the Judiciary, Chair
 * Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
 * Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
 * Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on the Judiciary - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Task Force on Antirust - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on the Constitution
 * Subcommittee on Courts the Internet and Intellectual Property

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Founding member, Congressional Black Caucus

Boards and Other Affiliations

 * Executive board member, Detroit American Civil Liberties Union, 1964 to present
 * Executive board member, Detroit NAACP, 1963 to present
 * Referee for Michigan workmen's compensation department, 1961-1963
 * Honorary Director, Drug Policy Alliance

Resources

 * Official website
 * ConyersBlog.us (Official Conyers Blog)
 * Judiciary Democrats
 * The Huffington Post Blog: John Conyers, Jr.
 * Technorati Search: John Conyers
 * Google News Search: John Conyers
 * Yahoo! News Search: John Conyers
 * Power Trips: How much did John Conyers travel?
 * GovTrack Statistics: John Conyers

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * MichiganLiberal 14th CD Section

Articles

 * Tony Allen-Mills and Tom Pattinson, "Blair faces US probe over secret Iraq memo," Times Online (UK), May 22, 2005.
 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, "Conyers Aides Press Ethics Charges," The Hill, March 1, 2006.
 * Joel Thurtell and Ruby L. Bailey, "Aides: Conyers made us babysit," Detroit Free Press, March 2, 2006.
 * "Conyers Seeks Probe of EPA chief's role in fundraiser," Associated Press, April 7, 2006.
 * Paul Kiel, "Federal Prosecutors Without Paper Clips," TPM Muckraker, July 24, 2006.
 * David, "Cafferty: Conyers' Constitutional Crisis," Crooks and Liars, August 2, 2006. WMP and QT formats.
 * Noel Sheppard, "Jack Cafferty is Cuckoo for Conyers," NewsBusters, August 2, 2006.
 * Rob Kall, "Pelosi and Conyers&mdash;Smarter Than Impeachment," OpEdNews, December 25, 2006.
 * Bill Swindell,                            |"Conyers' Antitrust Task Force To Examine Radio Merger,"National Journal, February 23, 2007.
 * Ryan Grim, "Conyers investigating Suskind allegations," Politico.com's "The Crypt," Augut 2008.

Articles by Conyers

 * "It's time for Karl Rove to go: The president needs to ask for a special prosecutor in the Valerie Plame case," Salon, October 15, 2003.
 * "What Went Wrong in Ohio?" Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, January 5, 2005.
 * "Did Bush Deliberately Deceive America About Iraq?" CounterPunch, June 6, 2005.
 * "A Motion for Censure," The Nation, December 12, 2005.
 * Editorial: "Why We Act," truthout, March 2, 2006.
 * "Constitution in Crisis" Talking Points Memo, July 31, 2006.
 * "The Constitution in Crisis Final Report Released," Daily Kos, August 4, 2006. Cross-posted at The Huffington Post.
 * "House Democrats Demand Accuracy in ABC 9/11 Film," HouseDemocrats.gov, September 6, 2006. re Reps. John Conyers, Jr., John Dingell, Jane Harman, and Louise Slaughter and "The Path to 9/11" (2006 Docudrama)

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration
 * The case for impeachment of President George W. Bush
 * The Constitution in Crisis; The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War, and Illegal Domestic Surveillance

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