Bob Packwood, a longtime United States senator from Oregon, resigned in 1995 after at least 29 women (among them campaign workers, congressional aides, and interns) accused him of sexual harassment and, in some cases, assault. Mr. Packwood denied the allegations. Despite the fact that the Senate’s Ethics Committee found evidence supporting 17 of the claims, the Justice Department decided not to prosecute him.
Reports about the women coming forward started to hit the news before Packwood’s reelection in 1992, but it took 2-1/2 years for the weight of their accusations to lead to Packwood’s resignation. The National Organization for Women (NOW) wanted the charges investigated by the Ethics Committee before he was officially seated. There were demonstrations, and in response the Senate leadership announced that the senators were being seated "conditionally."
After months of mounting evidence against Packwood, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) of California insisted that the Ethics Committee pursue charges. Finally, for what Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) of Maryland called his “systematic abuse of women, power, and this Senate,” the committee recommended that Packwood be expelled.
