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American Morning

Levys Meet Privately With Congressman Condit

Aired June 22, 2001 - 11:35   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The parents of missing intern Chandra Levy have had their first face-to-face meeting with California Congressman Gary Condit, that meeting taking place in secret last night. What they spoke about, also a secret.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joining us from Washington to tell us what the Levys' next move might be.

Hello, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

What we're expecting is is some sort of statement from the Levys' attorney Billy Martin within the hour or so. That probably will not be a statement that's read on camera, but it will be the reaction to last night's meeting.

The meeting, as you pointed out, was held in private after some very, very detailed negotiations between Congressman Condit and Billy Martin, who is the lawyer for the Levys' parents -- parents of Chandra Levy, who is the former intern at the Bureau of Prisons. Congressman Condit, of course, has been repeatedly named as somebody who had a romantic relationship with Chandra Levy, something that the congressman has repeatedly denied.

So we will probably find out more about what occurred last night. That was a meeting that was very delicately negotiated, as a told you.

Also, police sources say that the long-discussed second interview between Congressman Condit and the police department has not yet occurred, has not been yet been scheduled. The police want to, in fact, talk to the congressman a second time. It was about five weeks ago when they last interviewed him. They say that there are any number of questions that have arisen since then, including all the persistent questions about his relationship with Chandra Levy, which they feel might, in fact, give them some leads.

That interview has not been set up, but there is a continuing negotiation going on for that to occur. We are told that Congressman Condit is in town on a Friday waiting to see if that discussion can take place.

So that is the very latest. The Levys are still in town. They were expected to leave last night but, of course, that was interrupted by their discussion with Congressman Condit.

So far the Washington, D.C. Police Department continue to treat this, officially, as a missing persons investigation. They decided again, yesterday, in spite of pleas from the Levys, not to upgrade it to a criminal investigation because they believe that there is no evidence of foul play. Therefore, they do not believe that this should yet be handled as a criminal matter.

So, in fact, the rules are sort of different. That means that nobody is a suspect. Police have made it a point to say over and over that Congressman Condit has cooperated. Thus far, they have not set up that second interview. There are any number of people who believe, Miles, that it could happen later today.

O'BRIEN: All right, thanks very much, CNN's Bob Franken in Washington.

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