a second woman<\/a>\u00a0has also accused Mr. Conyers, 88, of sexual harassment.<\/p>\n\u201cI deny these allegations, many of which were raised by documents reportedly paid for by a partisan alt-right blogger,\u201d Mr. Conyers said in a statement on Sunday. \u201cI very much look forward to vindicating myself and my family before the House Committee on Ethics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Conyers said that he would \u201clike very much to remain as ranking member,\u201d but had \u201ccome to believe that my presence as ranking member on the committee would not serve these efforts while the Ethics Committee investigation is pending.\u201d<\/p>\n
His lawyer, Arnold E. Reed, said in a phone interview on Sunday that Mr. Conyers had taken several days to decide to step aside from his committee post because he did not want to make an \u201coff the cuff\u201d move. Mr. Conyers spoke with several family members and deliberated during the Thanksgiving holiday before determining that the allegations had become too much of a distraction, the lawyer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted time to think about this and reach a conclusion that he was comfortable with. And it was the right thing to do in his mind,\u201d Mr. Reed said. \u201cHe is maintaining that he did not do anything wrong. He is maintaining his innocence. This is a temporary stepping aside his position as ranking member so this can be a completely transparent and unfettered investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Mr. Reed had said in an interview that Mr. Conyers believed that some of those suggesting that he step down, including fellow Democrats, had been scheming for years to push him out of his Judiciary post.<\/p>\n
A senior House Democratic aide said the decision had come after days of effort by Ms. Pelosi, who was working with Mr. Conyers to find a way for him to step aside gracefully. Ms. Pelosi hinted at as much on \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d where she said, before Mr. Conyers\u2019s announcement, that she expected him to \u201cdo the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The interview showed the delicate position that Ms. Pelosi is in. She declined to say that Mr. Conyers should step down, calling him an \u201cicon in our country\u201d who had done \u201ca great deal to protect women.\u201d Ms. Pelosi later came under some criticism on social media for those remarks.<\/p>\n
On Sunday night, 12 women who once worked for Mr. Conyers released a statement in support of him. \u201cOur experiences with Mr. Conyers were quite different than the image of him being portrayed in the media,\u201d the women said, adding that he was \u201crespectful\u201d and \u201ctreated us as professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Franken aides have also been coordinating an effort to line up women in support of him. On Sunday, they released a statement signed by 65 women that expressed disappointment over the allegations but called him a \u201csteadfast supporter of women\u2019s rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who holds the recently created position of vice ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, praised Mr. Conyers for making a \u201cwise decision,\u201d adding, \u201cThe House is ready to clean house with respect to sexual harassment, and everybody agrees that we need to have a zero-tolerance policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Democrats wrestled with the allegations against Mr. Conyers and Mr. Franken, congressional Republicans on Sunday bemoaned President Trump\u2019s support for Roy S. Moore, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama who is accused of making unwanted advances on teenagers.<\/p>\n
Many Republicans on Capitol Hill have called for Mr. Moore to step aside, but he has refused to do so. In a\u00a0pair of tweets<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday, Mr. Trump\u00a0warned<\/a>\u00a0that electing Mr. Moore\u2019s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, \u201cwould be a disaster!\u201d Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, issued his own warning, saying that a victory by Mr. Moore would hurt Republicans just as much as a loss.<\/p>\n\u201cIf Moore wins, there will immediately be an ethics investigation, and he will be working under a cloud. He is a distraction,\u201d Mr. Thune, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said on \u201cFox News Sunday.\u201d \u201cI would like to see the president come out and do what we\u2019ve done, saying Moore should step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
Correction: November 27, 2017\u00a0<\/strong>
\nAn earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of a senator. She is Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, not Kirstin.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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