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11/21/2017 07:57 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)

With an assist from Seung Min Kim

CONYERS SECRETLY SETTLED HARASSMENT CLAIM - Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving current House member, secretly settled a sexual harassment complaint with a former staffer in 2015. The staffer was paid more than $27,000 from Conyer's office budget - made to look like regular salary payments - after the aide said she was fired for refusing to "succumb to [his] sexual advances," BuzzFeed reports in an explosive story. In affidavits accompanying the complaint, four staffers allege that Conyers "repeatedly made sexual advances to female staff that included requests for sexual favors, contacting and transporting other women with whom they believed Conyers was having affairs, caressing their
hands sexually, and rubbing their legs and backs in public."

The woman says she was "blackballed" and essentially forced to keep quiet because she had no other options due to the arcane, confidential and accuser-friendly process for filing complaints with the Capitol's Office of Compliance. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she was not aware of the settlement but supports current legislation to make the process much more transparent. Pelosi's office declined to comment to Huddle on Conyers, other than to reiterate that she was unaware of what happened.

Conyers is a Civil Rights icon and a legend on Capitol Hill, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus who gained prominence during the Nixon-impeachment era and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. If Democrats take back the House next year, Conyers would become Judiciary chairman. The BuzzFeed story caps a day in which sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against New York Times' Glenn Thrush and talk show host Charlie Rose and another woman accused Sen. Al Franken of groping her.

"The documents were first provided to BuzzFeed News by Mike Cernovich, the men's rights figure turned pro-Trump media activist who propagated a number of false conspiracy theories including the 'Pizzagate' conspiracy," BuzzFeed reports. Read Cernovich's explanation on why he gave the documents to BuzzFeed: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684df8960fec9f6ce56de8d45b15d8f17c40f1bfcedbffd7be893f55b25a6dfb2b5d840c77cd7351703 And don't miss Paul Mcleod and Lissandra Villa's full report on Conyers: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684087a25de2b4b5f069d10c6107872dde5f85c0bf5e0430b4dfef7a568b9965dce3e1139dd3566a330

CONGRESS SPEEDING TOWARD A SHUTDOWN - Congressional leaders are playing a dangerous game of political chicken when it comes to funding the government and securing a legislative fix for Dreamers by the end of the year. House conservatives have warned Speaker Paul Ryan against lumping a Dreamer fix into a year-end deal, wanting him to keep the two issues separate and delay immigration negotiations into 2018 to increase their leverage. But many liberal Democrats have already vowed to withhold votes from the spending bill should it not address Dreamers, putting Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in an awkward spot if they don't go along.

Happy Holidays y'all: Ryan, Pelosi, Schumer and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are already discussing a short-term government-funding extension to buy themselves more time to negotiate, likely culminating in a Christmastime collision. Either way, Republicans know they'll need Democratic votes. "We want a clean Dream Act," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), referring to the bill that provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. "That is what it's going to take for me and others to sign on." Rachael and yours truly with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684317ee7f79db26363da6e427186dcbea2e5bc9e66ca609873f95896a2903af9d383eb65dc8cc7bcda

TWO DAYS UNTIL TURKEY TIME. Thanks for reading Huddle on this Tuesday, Nov. 21, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Programming note: Huddle will be taking Thursday and Friday off to eat all of the things but we'll be back in your inboxes Monday, Nov. 27.

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: You guys are really excited about Sen. James Lankford's upcoming 2017 federal wastebook. A link to the 2015 and 2016 editions was the winner to start off the week.

PROGRESSIVES TURN ON FRANKEN - A handful of progressive groups and activists, including Indivisible, are calling on Sen. Al Franken to step down after a second woman accused him of groping her on Monday, telling CNN he grabbed her buttocks while taking a photo at the Minnesota state fair in 2010. Democratic senators mostly did not respond to a request for comment about the fresh allegations. "One exception was Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who said through a spokeswoman Monday that an Ethics Committee investigation is the 'appropriate step and needs to happen immediately,'" Elana and Seung Min report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684616b03e8769003689ce2b1e04714a39c716dec54e1288e042905a12df4bf0b0f8be1fd128a81b0e0

Where is Franken? The Minnesota Democrat hasn't been seen since before the first groping accusations surfaced last week. A Franken spokesman told the Minneapolis Star Tribune he was staying in Washington for Thanksgiving. But reporters monitoring his daughter's Tenleytown home, where he normally stays when in town, have not seen him come and go. "The senator's daughter, Thomasin, answered the door to the house on Monday afternoon with a baby and dog. She declined to tell a Post reporter whether her father was home," Ed O'Keefe reports for the Washington Post. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684892a98d08503841756244b82262516406674b202fdf5a396398d0c0dbb6816c79a20b49fae0a2385

SENATE DEM WOMEN DEMAND DACA FIX - Nearly a dozen female Democratic senators, led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, will send a later to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell later today calling on him to tee up the Dream Act for a vote later this year. "As mothers, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers, we are particularly concerned about the harm immigrant women and young children face with the rescission of DACA," the senators wrote. Women make up 53 percent of DACA recipients and about one-quarter are parents of American children, according to the letter. "The futures of these mothers and their U.S. citizen children have been thrown into uncertainty," they wrote.

Signees include: Cortez Masto and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris of California, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray of Washington, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

MEANWHILE, DOWN IN ALABAMA... Roy Moore has scheduled no public press events this week as the campaign hopes to avoid bringing any more attention to the sexual misconduct allegations facing the Alabama Senate candidate before the Dec. 12 election. Moore's first accuser, Leigh Corfman, gave her first television interview to NBC's Today Show Monday, recounting her accusations that Moore touched her inappropriately when she was 14 years old. "You know, I felt like I was the one that was to blame, and it was decades before I was able to let that go," Corfman said. Daniel Strauss with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684d315e5bdf434447c25409bca220244ee53939ac8b6b1aa975c4fb9fc60dcbe0f5acce574f7c6c1f4

Related: "Don't believe Roy Moore's accusers? Then listen to Roy Moore," via Kyle Whitmire for AL.com. Read: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc6842ac6ccbd87e88973a7ebb2d8a5e39037cffde9b3e2cb598be0082deeed9e112243147f231c44c9b4 And "the White House wants Roy Moore's vote but doesn't want to talk about Moore," via CNN's Eric Bradner. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684233658f9e3bafb7237e755a63b38c5595e5d56afaf85a92d3468acee0fab4055cd5242ad39a324a9

WHO YOU CALLIN' A TURKEY, TURKEY? - The big event in D.C. today will be the annual presidential turkey pardon. This year's two lucky turkeys, Drumstick and Wishbone, arrived in D.C. to much fanfare and got to indulge in a little rest and relaxation at the Willard before the big day. Check out the video from the White House: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684f13fcd07fe7fcb41ab151805d81e250388ee7aa8a7114dbc638940d6ce01fd75f38b59721b011123 The pardoning ceremony officially starts at 1 p.m.

MAKE WAY FOR MITT - Boyd Matheson, former chief of staff to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and a favorite among conservatives, announced he won't run for the Senate if Sen. Orrin Hatch retires. Matheson declining to run further makes way for Mitt Romney, who quietly has been preparing a campaign should Hatch, 83, retire. Matheson, president of the conservative Sutherland Institute think tank, will instead launch a new outside political group. Alex Isenstadt with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc68413d8ec9530b7859e2e5e84b3b4fb34a7f0ce37a5205104a3433908638b8df7f5e98e15c2264669fb


WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO RAND? Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) nor his alleged attacker Rene Boucher have yet to actually explain what led to the scuffle between the two men, where Paul claims he was "blindsided" and walked away with six broken ribs. "From the locals who know both men well, a portrait emerges of something much more personal and petty: a clash between a big-deal politician, living in a small town and rarely realizing the ways in which he rubs people the wrong way, and his neighbor, a proud, fiery, and meticulous former doctor," GQ's Ben Schreckinger reports. "It's like the old hillbilly feud over the property line," said longtime Bowling Green resident Bill Goodwin, who knows both
men. Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc684740cf1257b1a694a3a1484f88d10d10c660e7e820d25412164cbaa098450e77f1fba94df5d93dfbc

JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS - "Vice President Mike Pence is putting his imprint on the 2018 midterm elections, doling out contributions to three dozen Republican candidates - many of whom have been steadfast allies of the White House," Alex Isenstadt reports. "The vice president is giving financial support to a slate of high-profile candidates that includes Missouri Senate hopeful Josh Hawley, Nevada gubernatorial contender Adam Laxalt, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is eyeing a potential Senate bid." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc6840cbcd2bcfab7b5807db693aed6c1a3ed176f1fefb3f2fa92b32f79aceb8da2b85e4892a5e814815e

CUPS IS HERE TO STAY - Fear not Capitol Hill denizens. Cups, the best coffee shop on campus, is here to stay, the Architect of the Capitol announced Monday. Cups, which has to renew its contract every four years, had been competing with other restaurant providers to keep the space. There is some bad news, though: Cups will be closed for renovations from Nov. 24 to Jan. 2. Roll Call's Alex Gangitano: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=aeafabff467bc6845a6c41c098974983b6a21efcf5f977ac7a1a9f5c22bdfb48e35545b49f3ddaf1e19c7c81c6f484a2

ARRIVAL LOUNGE - Ben Fry started Monday as Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) new state director. Fry most recently worked as vice president of state government affairs for UnitedHealth Group. Fry replaces Joyce White, who is now working as the Georgia state director of rural development at the USDA.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House and Senate are both out until after Thanksgiving.

AROUND THE HILL - Shh, it's Thanksgiving week! Email me your thoughts on whether green bean casserole and pumpkin pie are the best Thanksgiving dishes ever or not: hcaygle@politico.com (Hint, there's only one right answer here).

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Paul Kane had lightning fast fingers Monday, correctly guessing that Ohio Rep. Jim Traficant is the last member of Congress to be expelled. He was kicked out in 2002 after being convicted of bribery and racketeering.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - PK with today's trivia: In 1995, Mitch McConnell was chairman of the Ethics Committee that voted unanimously to expel Sen. Bob Packwood for sexual harassment and other violations. Name the Republican who also served on the committee who would later be admonished by the ethics committee in a different sex scandal. The first person to answer correctly gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: hcaygle@politico.com.

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