Packwood Vows to ‘Fight Fire With Fire’ on Sex Allegations
Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) put his accusers on notice Wednesday that he will vigorously challenge their allegations of sexual and official misconduct, declaring it “time to fight fire with fire.”
“I have avoided public confrontation with the accusers,” he said. “However, they have not shown me the same measure of respect.”
During TV appearances Tuesday and Wednesday, Packwood picked at the stories of three accusers while not using any names.
He denied forcefully kissing a 17-year-old intern in 1983 and said the teen-ager later wrote him a letter thanking him for the opportunity to get involved in politics. He said the full circumstances of his kissing an employee in 1990 have not been told.
And he conceded that he kissed a campaign volunteer in 1980 but said she stayed with the race that year and returned in later years, never voicing any objections.
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