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Subject: Groups Seek Ethics Probe Of Packwood;Oregon Coalition Urges Senate Panel to
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 92 04:45:04 EST
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Groups Seek Ethics Probe Of Packwood;Oregon Coalition Urges Sen-
ate Panel to Act<By Leef Smith=Special to The Washington Post=

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 24 - Representatives of half a dozen Oregon
women's rights groups, "angered and saddened" by allegations of
sexual harassment leveled against Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.),
voted unanimously Monday night to pursue an ethics committee in-
vestigation of the senator's conduct, a spokeswoman for the newly
formed coalition said today.

Packwood, a longtime women's rights advocate and just elected to
a fifth term, has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances
toward 10 women, including staff members and lobbyists, over the
last two decades. The allegations were first reported Sunday in
The Washington Post.

"As individuals, we all believe he should leave the Senate and
we're committed to that end," said Mary Nolan, former president
of Oregon's National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and
spokeswoman for the 20 women and men who convened Monday night to
plan a course of action.

Packwood spokeswoman Julia Brim-Edwards said today the senator's
office would have no comment.  Among the groups represented at
the meeting were Oregon chapters of NARAL, the National Organiza-
tion for Women, Planned Parenthood and the Oregon Commission for
Women.

Nolan said women's rights groups have been inundated with an out-
pouring of support for the women who came forward to report alle-
gations of misconduct and a public insistence that Packwood,
ranking Republican on the Finance Committee, be held accountable.

To that end, Nolan said the coalition has enlisted legal counsel
to file complaints with the Select Committee on Ethics and today
sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-
Maine) urging that the complaints against Packwood be "fully and
seriously investigated."

The letter, signed by former state Supreme Court justice Betty
Roberts, state Rep. Avel Gordy (D) and state Sen. Dick Springer
(D), also urged Mitchell to appoint at least one woman to the
ethics committee. "Such an appointment would give us some confi-
dence that the citizens of this nation will not be subjected to
another Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas charade," the letter said,
referring to Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings last
fall and the allegations of sexual harassment by Hill.

Mitchell could not be reached for comment, but spokeswoman Mary
Ann Hill said "he does not generally comment on matters that
could come before the ethics committee in order to preserve the
committee's independence."

Nolan said other options for action against Packwood include a
recall - although a 1935 state attorney general's opinion said
that members of Congress are not subject to recall - a call for
his resignation and legal action that might include labor com-
plaints as well as civil and criminal action.

The groups plan to meet again Wednesday to map out a strategy to
keep the pressure on Packwood and the Senate.

Carol Auger, executive director of the Oregon Democratic Party,
which called for Packwood's resignation on Monday, said today
that the call for Senate ethics committee action is "likely to be
just one of many in the near future."

Newspapers throughout the state weighed in today with editorials
calling for such action and rebuking Packwood for his alleged ac-
tions and his current response. Packwood issued a statement say-
ing he was sorry if he had offended anyone.

"If Packwood is unwilling to explain his actions, he is unfit to
represent Oregonians," the Salem Statesman-Journal said.

"Now the world knows what has been spoken quietly about Bob Pack-
wood for two decades. The injustice is that the story did not run
prior to the election," the Daily Astorian said. "Oregon is the
loser in all of this." The Oregonian, the state's largest newspa-
per, said a Senate investigation is only a "first step. . . . No
matter how that investigation comes out, though, Packwood also
owes it to his constituents to weigh whether his reputation is
too damaged for him to serve them effectively. If so, he should
save them further embarrassment by resigning."

Holly Pruett, director of the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic
and Sexual Violence, said it is unknown whether Packwood's al-
leged victims will file complaints. If none are filed, Pruett
said multiple complaints could be issued by women's advocacy
groups and or any individual.

Julie Williamson, one of the women identified in The Post article
Sunday, said today that if Packwood does not resign, she is wil-
ling to file a complaint either individually or as part of a
group: "If that's what needs to be done, that's what I'll do."

Maura Roche, another women identified in the article, said she is
seeking more information about filing a complaint. In the mean-
time, she said, "We believe there are other women out there. We
hope they will come forward. . . . We need the full story to be
told."

It is unclear exactly what standards the Senate ethics committee
uses to decide whether to investigate a complaint. One reason the
committee gave when it decided against investigating sexual
harassment allegations against Sen. Brock Adams (D-Wash.) earlier
this year was that none of the alleged victims had filed a
complaint.<Staff writers Charles E. Shepard and Florence Graves
in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.<02:24 11-
25C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

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