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Attorney: John Conyers has no plans to resign

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DETROIT (AP) - The Latest on allegations of sexual misconduct against Rep. John Conyers (all times local):

4:25 p.m.

An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says the lawmaker has no plans to resign amid sexual harassment allegations.

Detroit-area lawyer Arnold Reed told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the 88-year-old Democrat is going to fight claims that he inappropriately touched several women when they worked on his staff.

Reed says anyone making such claims should be prepared to back them up.

Last week, BuzzFeed News reported that Conyers had settled a complaint in 2015 from a woman on his staff who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances. Another ex-staffer said Tuesday that in 1997 Conyers undressed to his underwear in front of her and twice touched her leg inappropriately.

Conyers told Reed that fears for his family over media coverage prompted his return to Detroit late Tuesday from Washington. Reed says the congressman will return to Washington when he feels it's safe to go back.

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1:55 p.m.

A third House Democrat has suggested that Rep. John Conyers should resign, following allegations of sexual harassment by at least three staff members.

Rep. Earl Blumenhauer said Wednesday that while it is ultimately up to Conyers whether he decides to step down, he told C-SPAN's Washington Journal, "I would think he should."

Earlier this week, two other lawmakers, Reps. Kathleen Rice and Pramila Jayapal, said they think Conyers should resign. Rice told reporters that she left a Democratic Caucus meeting early on Wednesday out of frustration that party leadership wasn't taking the issue seriously enough.

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