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CNN Live At Daybreak

Public Reaction to Condit Interview

Aired August 24, 2001 - 07:18   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.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN ANCHOR: Gary Condit is drawing little praise from his peers today on Capitol Hill, and that's Democrats as well as Republicans.

But what role does politics really play here?

CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us now with that -- Jeanne is in Washington -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One Democratic House leadership aide said this was Condit's chance to clear the air. Instead, he has just muddied the water. This aide expressed the opinion that Condit's performance had been a disappointment, because Condit had not been more forthcoming -- a key aide to one of California's senators; Condit is, of course, himself from California -- went even further, he referred to Condit's performance as being maddening. He said he is not being forthcoming, so why do the interview? The aide added, we were expecting something more.

Congress is in recess. Very few members are here in Washington, but from his home district, there was a comment from Jim Matheson, a Democrat from the state of Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM MATHESON (D), UTAH: I was just disappointed that we didn't focus on what I think is the critical issue, and that is someone is missing. You know, I just -- the whole situation in terms of the focus on that someone is missing, and that that ought to be the fundamental focus.

I would like to think that if we're going to talk about this, we ought to be talking about someone who is missing and how we can try to resolve that issue, and that wasn't really discussed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: One former member of House Democratic leadership pointed out that this was just the beginning of Condit's effort to present his case publicly, and things still could evolve. But this former member of leadership also expressed some worry that Condit could be in trouble if the Levy family resented the fact that Condit had used them as a reason not to spell out the specifics of his relationship with Chandra Levy -- back to you in Atlanta. FLOCK: Jeanne, thank you.

MCEDWARDS: All right. Now to the street and CNN's Jason Carroll, who is in New York talking to people there.

Jason, what are people saying this morning?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can imagine, I am sure they are saying a lot.

I am standing in the middle of Port Authority -- one of the main bus stations here in New York City -- at a newsstand. You can see it's all over the front pages here. It's on the top of the "Post," the "Daily News," the "New York Times," and of course, right here in this newsstand, you can see the "People" magazine article with Gary Condit and his wife. It is already on the newsstands. A lot of folks are going to be picking that up this morning.

Right now, we want to start out with we've got Cindy here. This is Cindy Gearmount (ph). And your name, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Karen.

CARROLL: Karen. Both of these two saw the Gary Condit interview last night.

Let's start with you, Cindy. What are some of your thoughts about the interview?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Initially, I was embarrassed for Connie Chung. I thought she did a very poor job in asking the questions. And I thought it was rather pathetic and weak on both parts.

CARROLL: What didn't you hear that you wanted to hear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly what their relationship was. I thought he evaded it. He danced around every question she asked and just kept repeating the same scenario over and over.

CARROLL: All right. Let me get your thoughts on the interview. What were some of your thoughts about what happened last night?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think it was a waste. I mean, he didn't really -- he didn't talk about anything. He like totally just beat around the bush. She kept asking the same questions over and over again. It was a waste.

CARROLL: Again, I'm going to ask you the same thing I asked Cindy. What didn't you hear last night that you wanted to hear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything. The truth. I mean, I think the Levys should have been there maybe, because he kept saying that he was trying to protect them as well. You know, I mean, he just kept saying the same thing over and over and over again.

CARROLL: What would you have asked him? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would I have asked him?

CARROLL: Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The truth -- I mean, where is she? What happened to her? Was she pregnant? Was she -- you know what I mean? What really happened?

CARROLL: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything that we wanted to know.

CARROLL: All right. Thank you, both of you -- thanks again for joining us this morning -- have a good day at work.

Again, Colleen, lots of opinions out here, and also a lot of disappointment obviously. A lot of folks feel as though the question that they wanted answered last night was not answered -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Interesting, Jason -- thanks very much.

FLOCK: So far, we have been concentrating on reaction to what Condit said. But what about what he didn't say -- what his body language did?

For that, we need an expert, and so we have called on psychologist Robert Butterworth.

Mr. Butterworth, thanks for coming in early to our Los Angeles studios.

You did a scorecard yesterday, I understand. How did he do?

ROBERT BUTTERWORTH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Unfortunately, he didn't do well. I mean, psychologically, his actions and his movement really betrayed him. But even the elements that he needed to incorporate -- I am sorry, forgiveness, redemption, I won't do it again, and I'm going to seek help, and I care, things like, you know, I feel. All of those elements that would make people change their mind and be emotionally swayed weren't there. It was more like a very scripted, rigid, somewhat anger-filled and withdrawn sense of interaction. And that's why he failed to persuade the American public.

FLOCK: So that's the broad read. Let's look at it more closely.

You look at some specific areas, for example -- nervousness. How did he do in that area?

BUTTERWORTH: Generally, when he was into a long dialog, he would loosen up. He would become much less tight, and his eyes would dart less. His mannerisms would relax. But then when Connie would start grilling him and ask him over and over the same question, his manners would change -- his mannerisms would change. He would become tight. He would start looking like this. He would start moving his lips. His expressions would become tighter.

These were all elements -- like if this person had been on the witness stand and we were trying to determine whether he would have been a believable witness, he would have failed, because in a sense his body language was saying I'm not going to answer it. I don't want to be asked this question. Let's go on. And I'm going to stonewall.

FLOCK: So let's look up close and personal now. We've got some still frames that maybe sometimes the stills sort of gives you a different picture than the moving video.

Here is one. What does that one tell you -- anything in particular?

BUTTERWORTH: Well, you know, in a sense it sounds like he has rehearsed and he's kind of thinking about what he is going to say. You know, when you have something to say and it comes from your heart, you don't really think what you're having. You know have -- you just come out and you just say it.

But when you are thinking back and when you're going back on yourself and you're saying to yourself, gee, how did I rehearse this? How am I supposed to say it? You look cerebral. You kind of go back and look into yourself, and in a sense that's what that picture shows.

FLOCK: Let's take a look at a wider one. And his body language in terms of how he is sitting and how he looks. Does he look comfortable there to you at all?

BUTTERWORTH: Well, no, and he wasn't comfortable throughout. Obviously, he was coached. I mean, you see his posture is such that his hand is one right over the other. And somebody said, you know, in the rehearsals that you have to be like this. Because they knew there would be people like myself looking at him and saying all these things about body language. So it's not so much how he sits, but how he presents himself, and how would the movements change when Connie starts grilling him to try to get him to answer those questions. And the more she puts him in the corner, the more he becomes tight, and he moves back.

FLOCK: Let's take a look at one last one that sort of depicts that, I think, and that's the look on the face there, perhaps, and a closer shot if we've got it.

Uncomfortability with the questions and averting of the eyes -- so what about that?

BUTTERWORTH: What is he really feeling? Look at that! I mean, it's almost like he's saying, will you just stop it and get on with something else? There is that hostility factor coming out. It's not coming out overtly. But there is a sense that I don't want to answer this. You can ask me five or six times in a different way, but I'm going to stonewall, and I'm not going to come up with those things that we wanted to hear: I'm sorry, I care, and I won't do it again.

FLOCK: So if you had to summarize in a sentence or two what the communication was between the lines, what he didn't say, what would you call that as?

BUTTERWORTH: Sadly, I would say a person that was blocked, walled off, over rehearsed and in denial either to us or to himself about the gravity of his actions, and the fact is, we don't believe him, and he wasn't believable to anyone -- possibly not even to himself.

FLOCK: Mr. Butterworth, I appreciate the time and the insight -- thank you, sir.

BUTTERWORTH: Thank you.

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