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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Search for Chandra: D.C. Police Search Gary Condit's Apartment

Aired July 11, 2001 - 07:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Chandra Levy investigators shine a light on Congressman -- on the Congressman Condit connection.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joins us from Washington to talk about an overnight search -- Bob, what happened.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Colleen, once police got permission, they said they wanted to move quickly and they did.

Hours after they got the permission from Congressman Condit's lawyer to search the apartment, their evidence team moved in -- a forensics investigation.

They came about 11:30 at night to the congressman's Washington apartment building in the Adams Morgan section of Washington. They brought chemicals like Luminol. You can use that with an ultraviolet light. And when you did that, it'll show off blood.

There was a complete forensics examination, we're told. You could see flashbulbs as the evening wore on, as they took a variety of pictures. The police had said this was be a thorough investigation. And it apparently was. They left as the -- as the search ended, after about 3 1/2 hours, carrying various bags full of material that they feel will contribute to the investigation.

Now, this is just one of the matters that the police say they're working on. The lawyer for Congressman Condit says that he wants to discuss a lie detector test with the police. The police say they're very much interested in that. The police also say they want a DNA test. And, by the way, just for the record, what that would involve, say officers, is to take some saliva from Congressman Condit to use in a variety of ways for comparisons in the investigation.

As for the congressman himself, he was returning to Congress and returning to the questions, particularly from his colleagues, colleagues he had assured he was not having a romantic relationship with Chandra Levy. It turned out that he told police investigators on Friday night that he was.

Back to the apartment search, by the way: There's been quite a bit of criticism that after 10 weeks since Chandra Levy disappeared, it would have limited value. I spoke last night with the assistant police chief of Washington. And he said thanks to the technology of today -- the chemicals and that type of thing -- it's almost impossible to sanitize an apartment, so there would be evidence that would show up. It was Chief Terrance Gainer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRANCE GAINER, ASST. CHIEF, D.C. POLICE: Law enforcement across the country has gone back and looked at cases that are very, very old and gone through apartments where scores of people -- dozens of people have lived there over the years, and still found evidence.

So the -- fortunately for the police, most people don't know the sophistication of the tools that are available to us and how easy it is for us to find information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And back, by the way, to the lie-detector test: Congressman Condit's attorney, Abbe Lowell, says that he has very low regard for lie-detector tests. Negotiations are going on. The police say they want to use the FBI. Lowell might counter by saying that he wants to use -- at least at first -- a private person to administer the polygraph.

One other factor in this case is going on today. And that involves Anne Marie Smith. Anne Marie Smith is the flight attendant who has charged that she had a romantic relationship herself with Congressman Condit and that Condit and his representatives tried to get her to sign a false sworn statement saying there was no romantic relationship.

Well, she's in Washington today. She's been talking to the U.S. attorney about that. It is the first step in the U.S. attorney determining whether that is part of a separate investigation. And lest we forget, Colleen, Chandra Levy has been missing for over 10 weeks -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Thanks very much, CNN's Bob Franken -- and police still saying that Congressman Condit is not a suspect.

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