New Accusers Charge Packwood With Sexual Misconduct : Congress: 13 more women say the senator made uninvited advances. The group includes campaign volunteers and casual acquaintances.

Thirteen more women say that Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) made uninvited sexual advances toward them, and according to their accounts, his unwanted kissing and touching extended to campaign volunteers, casual acquaintances and virtual strangers as well as employees and lobbyists.

In interviews, the women described a man whose sexual approaches came out of nowhere, often in unexpected situations. Several women said he took advantage of chance encounters to make abrupt and unwelcome advances, French-kissing them when a handshake might have been appropriate.

Some of the women said he seized on their interests or aspirations to establish a rapport and then maneuvered to be alone with them.

Based on the information from the interviews, Packwood could be strikingly bold at times: One woman interviewing for a job said he made it clear he wanted her to spend the night with him, although he hardly knew her. Sometimes, he could be persistent: A staff member said she rebuffed his advances on three separate occasions before she left for another job.

Two of the 13 women said they were offended enough to talk privately to someone on Packwood’s staff, but most said they told only their friends or relatives, if they told anyone. Several said they did not think a complaint would be taken seriously.

The incidents described spanned almost two decades, between the late 1960s and mid-1980s. Packwood was married during that period; he and his wife, Georgie, separated in 1990 after 26 years of marriage and are now divorced.

The Post reported on Nov. 22, 1992, that Packwood, known as a leading advocate of women’s rights on Capitol Hill, had made uninvited sexual advances toward 10 women, including employees, prospective employees and lobbyists. Interviewed in the closing days of a tight election race, Packwood denied making any such advances. After winning election Nov. 3 to a fifth term, he apologized. “My actions were just plain wrong,” he said at a Dec. 10 news conference. “I just didn’t get it. I do now.”

Altogether, 23 women now have told the Post that Packwood made unwanted advances toward them between 1969 and 1990.

Packwood declined several requests to be interviewed about the new allegations. His lawyers said in a statement Friday that “the appropriate course of action is for Sen. Packwood to respond to these allegations” before the Senate Ethics Committee.

The committee began its investigation after the November article, which set off a debate about Packwood’s behavior and the broader question of how Congress handles complaints of sexual misconduct.

An Oregon coalition calling itself Oregonians For Ethical Representation has demanded that Packwood resign. The group has complained that his election victory was fraudulent, saying that he lied to the Post initially and also lied to the Oregon press about the newspaper’s inquiries in order to keep his conduct secret until after Election Day.

The Senate Rules Committee is considering complaints about the validity of his reelection.

Packwood, 60, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has said repeatedly that he will not resign. Some of his defenders, calling themselves Oregonians for a Fair Hearing, have said the calls for his resignation are based on unproven accounts which, in some cases, come from women who supported Packwood’s Democratic opponent.

“We as voters and citizens need to see the totality of circumstances surrounding those allegations,” said Jeanette Slepian, who heads the pro-Packwood group.

During a recent tour of Oregon, Packwood told interviewers that he has information that contradicts some of the earlier accusations against him. He said his lawyers hope to question his accusers during the Ethics Committee proceedings.