Swift Action on Packwood Inquiry Urged

WASHINGTON — Pressure built Wednesday on the Senate Ethics Committee to move forward with public hearings on allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation against Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) rather than to await the outcome of a court battle over access to his diaries.

Among those calling for swift Ethics Committee action were Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the leaders of women’s advocacy groups and attorneys for women who have accused Packwood of making unwanted sexual advances.

The statements came one day after the Senate voted, 94 to 6, to ask a federal court to enforce the Ethics Committee subpoena of Packwood’s memoirs. Members of the committee said Wednesday that they will take the issue to court in the next two weeks, but a lengthy legal battle is expected. Packwood signaled Wednesday that he will vigorously oppose the demand.

At issue are the final 3,000 or so pages of Packwood’s more than 8,000-page diary. Packwood refused to turn over those pages after the committee told him its review of the first 5,000 pages suggested that he may have engaged in criminal conduct, later described by Packwood as using his official position to try to get a job for his wife, as the couple was divorcing.

The committee said that it intended to review the final 3,000 pages, which date back to 1989, to look for further evidence of that conduct, as well as for statements related to the sexual harassment complaints. The committee, however, has many other materials and witnesses it can turn to in its examination of the original charges.

In an interview, Boxer proposed that the Ethics Committee operate on two tracks, seeking the diaries through the courts while proceeding with public hearings.

“There is nothing precluding the Ethics Committee from pursuing the cases before them on a dual track while the court fight goes on,” Boxer said. “It doesn’t have to delay its work on the sexual harassment charges.”

Harriet Woods, president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, made a similar point.

“My concern is what will happen to the prompt redress of the grievances of the women who started the whole case,” Woods said. “I think it’s unconscionable to delay attention to those issues. We want prompt public hearings on the original allegations.”

Leslie Roberts, a Portland, Ore., lawyer who represents Jean McMahon, one of Packwood’s accusers, said that the Senate’s decision on the subpoena was very welcome.

“I’m sure she (McMahon) feels a great deal of satisfaction and hope because it was such a strong endorsement for the Ethics Committee,” Roberts said. If the court battle becomes time-consuming, she added, the committee could go ahead with its work on the original charges and supplement its findings later if the Packwood diaries become available.

Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles attorney who filed the first complaint against Packwood a year ago, added: “There’s no need to stall or delay because of this (court) skirmish. It’s a battle in a larger war.”

While the ethics panel has made no decision on how to proceed next in its preliminary inquiry, one of the six committee members, Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Ida.), said that the review would not have to stop in its tracks because of the court proceedings.

“Based on the evidence we have, we can move forward,” Craig said.

Packwood carried on with his Senate duties with a matter-of-fact air Wednesday as if he had not suffered a smashing defeat at the hands of his peers.

A Packwood aide brushed off the dramatic plea Tuesday by veteran Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) for Packwood to resign. Other Republican lawmakers said that Packwood is entitled to defend himself against the charges.

Boxer, however, said that she was heartened by Byrd’s remarks, which came at the close of the two-day debate over the subpoena, since she also has asked Packwood to resign in the interests of himself and the Senate.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said that he also shares Byrd’s view. “He’s not doing himself any good, he’s not doing his state any good and he’s not doing the Senate any good,” Harkin said of Packwood. “As one of my colleagues said at lunch: ‘Why doesn’t he get a life?’ ”

But many others said that they see the issue differently. As Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.) said: “Sen. Packwood has not been tried on any of these charges and he hasn’t been found guilty. He’s entitled to his day in court.”

As the fallout continued on Capitol Hill, there were indications that the two days of Senate debate, broadcast nationally on C-SPAN cable television, had not generated the intense reaction that other Washington flare-ups have.

“This did not trigger a national outrage,” said Brian Lamb, C-SPAN’s chief executive officer. “People were saying: ‘Why are you dealing with this and why don’t you deal with the problems I have.’ ”