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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Search for Chandra: Condit Agrees to Meet With FBI

Aired July 25, 2001 - 08:05   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we get the latest on the missing intern, Chandra Levy. CNN has learned California Congressman Gary Condit has agreed to help the FBI with a new phase of its investigation.

CNN's Bob Franken has new information for us this morning.

Bob, what has changed?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's talk first about the political implications of this, because that is of course such an important element of Gary Condit's involvement in this particular story.

Condit, of course, is involved, because of his relationship that he has now acknowledged to police investigators with Chandra Levy. And he is now starting to get some very significant heat on Capitol Hill, not from his adversaries, but from somebody who is considered a very close associate -- a friend -- Charles Stenholm.

Stenholm sits next Condit as you can see when they are at the Agriculture Committee meetings. He is also a co-founder of the Blue Dog Coalition, which is the name for this coalition of conservative Democrats. The two have been very close during their congressional careers.

But now Stenholm has come out with a statement solicited by his local newspaper in which he says: "Through his actions and behaviors, Congressman Condit has brought controversy and discredit to his family, his district and the Congress."

Now, "discredit" is a very loaded word because of the House Rule, which says "A member, officer or employee of the House of Representatives shall reflect creditably in the House of Representatives." So what he is saying is that the congressman has in fact violated House Rules as far he is concerned.

And remember we are talking about Congressman Charles Stenholm, a friend of Congressman Condit, who says he has not talked this over, by the way, with his friend, Condit.

Now, moving along to Condit and his role in the investigation, we have been told by a variety of sources who have been involved in the discussions that Condit has agreed to participate with an FBI profiler in an interview. The FBI profiler is assigned to paint a psychological picture of Chandra Levy -- what she might have been thinking when she disappeared on May 1. Condit has agreed to this, we are told by the sources that he would do it. The FBI agreed to allow it to happen without Washington, D.C. investigators in the room. It is unclear whether the Washington police in fact will push for their own interview with Condit, or whether they are going to raise their own objections -- Carol.

LIN: Bob, he is not a suspect has become Gary Condit's middle name these days. I mean, here is a man, he is not a suspect, but he certainly has been the focus of the investigation.

Does anybody think -- any of your sources think that it's odd that the FBI is going to be asking Gary Condit to paint this portrait of Chandra Levy's state of mind in her last days?

FRANKEN: Not really, because of the fact that he had this close relationship with Chandra Levy. He would be in a position to contribute quite a bit to an understanding of how she thought and also what might have motivated her vis-a-vis the relationship that they had.

So, no, that has always been something that has been considered a given. The police continue to say that he is not a suspect, that he is in fact only a focus of the media not really the primary focus of the police investigators.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Bob Franken, with the latest on the missing Washington intern.

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