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American Morning

The Search for Chandra: Both Grim and Tawdry

Aired July 03, 2001 - 10:00   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We begin this hour with a human drama that has Washington abuzz right now, a family in limbo and a Congressman in the spotlight. It has been nearly nine weeks since former government intern Chandra Levy vanished and the search for clues has taken some turns both grim and increasingly tawdry. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joins us now live from Washington with the latest developments this morning -- Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

At issue now has become the personal life of Congressman Gary Condit. Many peopled have linked romantically with the missing intern, Chandra Levy, which has been denied repeatedly by a spokesman for Congressman Condit. But now the concession is about the alleged relationship he had with a flight attendant, Anne Marie Smith, who operated out of the west coast. There have been repeated charges that he had a romantic relationship with Anne Marie Smith, something that Condit's office has never directly denied. And now the charge, which was contained in an interview on the Fox News Channel last night from Anne Marie Smith that Condit tried to get her through representative and then in personal conversation to sign a false affidavit, a sworn affidavit in which she would claim that she did not have the romantic relationship with Condit that she says she had.

She says in the interview Mr. Condit knew it was false and he was asking me to sign it and I personally could never have signed it. She went on to say that just recently, before she was interviewed by the FBI, she had a telephone conversation with Gary Condit, more like a confrontation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE MARIE SMITH, FLIGHT ATTENDANT: And I said, you know, it was just a routine questioning. They said they would keep my name confidential. He was really upset with me. He said, "Well, I, oh, I see how you are. I see what you are doing.

And I said, "No, you know, I've never been in a situation like this." You know, I realized, he told me, he said, "You don't have to talk to the media. You don't have to talk to anybody. You don't even have to talk to the FBI."

(END VIDEO CLIP) FRANKEN: Now, we have repeatedly tried to get comment from Condit's office, but let us not forget that this is all evolving in the unsolved mystery about the disappearance of Chandra Levy. Officials now believe she last was in her Washington apartment on May 1. It's been about nine weeks since she was last seen, a story has gotten tremendous interest because of the questions about the relationship between her and Congressman Condit. It bears repeating that Congressman, through his spokesmen, has repeatedly denied that that was a romantic relationship.

As for comment on the interview on the Fox News Channel with Anne Marie Smith, we have gone to his Washington lawyer for Congressman Condit, Abbe Lowell, who says he has had nothing to do with this. He has referred all questions to the San Francisco lawyer Joe Cotchett. He says that we should expect some sort of statement from Cotchett. Cotchett has been absolutely unavailable. So have the spokesmen in Condit's office. Absolutely no comment on the Anne Marie Smith interview. No denials in the past that there was a romantic relationship with Anne Marie Smith, but no confirmation either. So it raises the question, Daryn if whether, Brian, if whether, in fact, the affidavit that the flight attendant was being asked to sign was false. It is only her claim that they had the romantic relationship.

NELSON: Bob, a question for you. Do you know if the Washington police were aware of this development before it was broadcast?

FRANKEN: Well, the Washington police are aware of the fact that the FBI did interview Anne Marie Smith. Anne Marie Smith was one of the people that has been interviewed in this investigation as detectives in Washington and the FBI helping out, fanning out across the nation looking for any clues, because the bottom line is there is no knowledge right now about the whereabouts of Chandra Levy, who, let us not forget, is at the center of this investigation. She is the missing person.

NELSON: All right, thank you, CNN's national correspondent Bob Franken in Washington.

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