Rep. John Conyers Used Staff to Babysit

Newsmax reports:

Michigan Democrat John Conyers - the congressman who would be chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee should Democrats gain control of the House - has been accused of misusing his office - and taxpayer dollars - for personal advantage.

According to two of his former staff members, Conyers required them to babysit his children, run errands and work on his political campaigns while on his congressional payroll.

According to CNN, former Conyers legal adviser Sydney Rooks charged that the congressman brought his two young sons into her office several times, saying, "Rooks, they're your responsibility for right now. I'll be back later." The definition of "later," she told network, could be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.

"[I] could be frantically calling around trying to find him because it was now 8 or 9 p.m. or later in the evening and not knowing what to do with the children," she added.

No word yet on whether Conyers had his staff babysit while he was attending the Democratic Socialists of America 2003 national convention.