Senator Threatens Fight on Floor to Press Demand for Public Hearing on Packwood

[Frank Cannon]

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/15/us/senator-threatens-fight-on-floor-to-press-demand-for-public-hearing-on-packwood.html

WASHINGTON, July 14— Senator Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who has led the crusade for public hearings into accusations of sexual and official misconduct against Senator Bob Packwood, threatened today to force a floor vote on the matter unless the Ethics Committee votes within one week to hold such hearings.

Her threat follows one from Senator Mitch McConnell, chairman of the Ethics Committee, in the escalating partisan feud over the Packwood case. Mr. McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, told the committee earlier this week that if Mrs. Boxer kept pushing for public hearings on Mr. Packwood, a Republican, then he would order hearings into Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Democrat, and Chappaquiddick.

Mr. McConnell also said he would initiate hearings into the activities of Senator Tom Daschle, the minority leader, and whether he inappropriately intervened with Federal aviation inspectors to help an air charter company owned by a friend.

[Frank Cannon]

Looks like that if you are a pal of Mitch's, he'll go to the mat for you no matter how guilty.

[Emjay]

Looks like that if you are a pal of Mitch's, he'll go to the mat for you no matter how guilty.

Isn't the Packwood case the one where one Senator asks another, "was he drunk?" and the other replies, "He had to be."

[Emjay]

Looks like that if you are a pal of Mitch's, he'll go to the mat for you no matter how guilty.

That Mitch ... a real pal