Sex Probes to Target 3 Lawmakers : Reps. Bates, Lukens, Savage Face Inquiries by Ethics Committee

The House Ethics Committee announced Friday that it will conduct preliminary inquiries into allegations of sexual misconduct against three congressmen, Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego), Rep. Donald E. (Buz) Lukens (R-Ohio) and Rep. Gus Savage (D-Ill.).

The decision was made Thursday at a closed meeting of the panel, which declined further comment on the three investigations. The 12-member committee acted after reviewing complaints that were filed against the lawmakers by former aides or other members of the House.

Under the rules of the House, a preliminary inquiry is the first step in investigating ethics cases involving a member of Congress. If the panel finds there is a “reason to believe” that a lawmaker has acted improperly, it can then decide to open a formal investigation, similar to a trial. Based on recommendations made by the panel, a lawmaker could face disciplinary action by the House, including expulsion.

Bates, 48, was accused last year by two former aides of sexually harassing female members of his staff and forcing them to perform campaign-related tasks on office time. The aides said that Bates embraced them and engaged in other objectionable activity.

In a telephone interview, the four-term congressman denied the allegations and said: “The complaint’s almost a year old, so I’m looking forward to finally getting it cleared up. I don’t feel the allegations are accurate. It’s unfortunate that I’ve never been given a copy of the specific allegations.

“That forces you to kind of go into this thing blind. How can you make a specific response if you don’t know the specific complaint? I’d like to talk to whoever wrote these rules sometime.”

Bates said that he intends “to cooperate fully with the committee” but that he was unsure whether he would respond through written or oral testimony. He said he has been told that the preliminary investigation may be completed by early September.

“I’m not really surprised the committee’s going to look at it, given the climate in Washington these days,” he said. “I’m just eager to get it behind me.”

Bates, who last year admitted to “kidding around and flirting” with female staffers in ways that he conceded were “sometimes inappropriate and unprofessional,” reiterated Friday that he believes his conduct “never approached the level” of sexual harassment.

The examples of alleged sexual harassment detailed in news stories last fall include charges that Bates requested daily hugs from female staffers, during which he often patted their buttocks.

On one occasion, he allegedly asked one aide whether she would sleep with him if they were stranded on a desert island, and he allegedly embarrassed another female employee when, in full view of his office staff, he wrapped his legs around her extended leg and began to sway back and forth, grinning.

“My feeling today is what it was when this first came out--that a lot of this was just joking around that got taken the wrong way or exaggerated,” Bates said Friday. “I’m sorry it happened. But to call it sexual harassment . . . is blowing it way out of proportion.”

Lukens, 58, was convicted in Ohio on misdemeanor charges of contributing to the unruliness of a minor. On June 30 he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and fined $1,000. Although Lukens is appealing his sentence, the House Republican caucus filed the complaint, based on charges that he had sex with the teen-ager.

Through a press spokesman, Lukens on Friday denied any wrongdoing and said he welcomed the opportunity to provide additional information about the teen-ager’s credibility that had been ruled inadmissible during his trial.

In the Savage case, three House Democrats filed a complaint against the Illinois Democrat last month after a Peace Corps volunteer said he fondled her while he was traveling on congressional business in Zaire last March.

According to the complaint, the woman said she accompanied Savage and other individuals on a tour of area nightclubs after a dinner at the U.S. ambassador’s residence. As she sat in the back of a limousine, the congressman fondled her repeatedly and demanded that she have sex with him, despite her strong protests, the woman said.

The panel also is expected to look into allegations that Savage, during a 1986 congressional trip to China, canceled a series of business meetings and traveled instead to South Korea and Hong Kong for sightseeing and to shop for tailored suits. Savage, 63, was unavailable for comment Friday, but he has angrily denied the Peace Corps worker’s charges and told reporters two weeks ago: “I did nothing, that’s what I did. This lie was leaked by the State Department for political reasons.”

Josh Getlin reported from Washington and Barry Horstman from San Diego.