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Rep. John Conyers' accuser Marion Brown speaks out: 'He just violated my body'

Marion Brown, a former staffer for Rep. John Conyers, spoke publicly for the first time about alleged sexual misconduct by the Michigan congressman.
/ Source: TODAY

Marion Brown, a former staffer under Rep. John Conyers, detailed the Michigan congressman's alleged sexual misconduct in an exclusive interview with TODAY Thursday, saying the longtime civil rights icon "violated my body" and frequently propositioned her for sex.

Brown is one of multiple women who have alleged of sexual harassment by Conyers, which she said occurred regularly during her 11 years working on his staff.

"It was sexual harassment, violating my body, propositioning me, inviting me to hotels with the guise of discussing business and propositioning for sex,'' Brown told Savannah Guthrie. "He just violated my body, he's touched me in different ways. It was very uncomfortable and very unprofessional."

She described a specific disturbing encounter with Conyers, 88, who has denied any wrongdoing, in a Chicago hotel room in 2005.

"He was undressed down to his underwear,'' she said. "He asked me to satisfy to him sexually. He pointed to genital areas of his body and asked me to touch him.

"I was frozen shocked. I didn't want to lose my job, I didn't want to upset him. Also, he asked me to find other people that would satisfy him," she said. "I just tried to escape. I did tell him that I was not going to do that and I did not feel comfortable."

Brown first came forward anonymously in a Buzzfeed story on Nov. 20, saying she was fired in 2014 for refusing his sexual advances.

She reached a settlement with Conyers, a democrat, in 2015 in which she signed a non-disclosure agreement, but she decided to come forward publicly regardless.

"I am taking a risk, and the reason I'm taking the risk, I want to be a voice,'' she said. "I want (my granddaughter) to not have to endure sexism and gender inequality. I felt it was worth the risk to stand up for all the women in the workforce that are voiceless."

Brown also said she was prompted to speak out after Conyers vehemently denied the allegations, despite admitting to the settlement.

"I'm here to say I'm not a liar," she said.

She was asked if he should resign from his position.

"I'm going to leave that up to the (House) Ethics Committee and his colleagues,'' she said. "All I want from the congressman is to acknowledge what he did and apologize to me for calling me a liar."

Follow TODAY.com writer Scott Stump on Twitter.