To try to clarify what the charges are, I am quoting verbatim from a "Judicial Watch" article of march 3, 2006. Everything is below the break.
Aides Say Democrat Rep. Conyers Ordered Them to Serve as Personal Servants
The topic of congressional ethics continues to dominate the headlines. According to complaints released by the House Ethics Committee this week, aides to Representative John Conyers (D-MI) alleged their former boss repeatedly violated House ethics rules, forcing them to serve as his personal servants and valets when they were supposed to be doing the governments work. Former staffers Deanna Maher (Chief of Staff), Sydney Rooks (Legal Counsel), and Dean Christian Thornton (Legislative Aide) claim they were also forced to tutor and baby sit for Conyers' sons, help his wife with law classes, pick up dry cleaning and perform other personal services - all on the government's time or their own personal time. On one occasion, according to the Detroit Free Press, Conyers forced Maher to live in his house for six weeks and take care of his children while his wife attended law classes out of town. (Some of you may recall that Conyers' was in similar hot water in 2003 when staffers claimed he forced them to work on political campaigns on government time.) Congressional staffers, of course, are prohibited from performing any nonofficial, personal or campaign duties while on the congressional payroll.
Democrats have tried desperately to portray the recent congressional ethics crisis as a Republican-only problem. Unfortunately for them, the evidence is impossible to ignore. The rash of ethics scandals erupting in Washington and around the country is due to lack of transparency and lack of enforcement and it crosses party lines. Through our own work and our joint efforts with the Congressional Ethics Coalition, we will continue to call for strict ethics enforcement on Capitol Hill, but congressional representatives must hear from you as well. To contact the House Ethics Committee call 202-225-7103 direct.