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American Morning
Congressman Admits to Affair with Levy; Police Say Condit Not a Suspect
Aired July 09, 2001 - 09:01 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to begin on this Monday morning with the latest on the Chandra Levy investigation. Relatives of the missing intern are not convinced that a California congressman has told all that he knows. The Levy family wants Congressman Gary Condit to submit to a polygraph exam.
Sources tell CNN that Condit admitted to an affair with Levy during a third meeting with police. Condit's lawyer says the congressman has told police everything he knows. And Washington, D.C. police say Condit is not a suspect in Levy's disappearance.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken has been following the story and he joins us from Washington with details.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And the spokesman for the Levy family, Michael K. Frisby, says that the family will ask for the polygraph test, probably ask the police department with it, saying -- and I'm quoting -- "the family feels the investigation has been hindered because the congressman told so long to tell the truth.
And the family now feels," he went on, "they need to be assured that the congressman is telling the truth." So the parents of Chandra Levy, the 24-year-old former Washington intern who disappeared nearly 10 weeks ago, the family is trying to keep the pressure on Congressman Condit at the very same time the Condit representatives are trying to take the pressure off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Time now for the damage control, now that Congressman Gary Condit, according to law enforcement sources, admitted to police interviewers what he has publicly denied until now, that he did have a romantic relationship with 24-year-old Chandra Levy, a former Washington intern who disappeared nine and a half weeks ago. That 90-minute interview took place Friday night in the office of his attorney, Abbe Lowell.
By Sunday, Lowell was making the talk show rounds. He refused over and over to confirm exactly what the congressman told police about Chandra Levy. He insisted that Condit had given police every shred of information that could be helpful
ABBE LOWELL, CONDIT'S ATTORNEY: Congressman Condit has told the police everything he possibly can about the nature of their interactions.
FRANKEN: Police emphasized again Condit is not a suspect. Lowell took issue again with the news media for focusing so much on the congressman's personal life. But investigators say it took three interviews with Condit to get all the answers to their questions about that. They still don't have the answer to the important question.
TERRANCE GAINER, ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF, WASHINGTON, D.C.: I don't know what happened to Chandra Levy, and we still haven't figured that out.
FRANKEN: Investigators say that in their efforts to figure this out, they hope to finally search garbage landfills in the area, taking cadaver dogs in the hope that they do not find evidence.
Police say that at the moment at least they have gotten the answers from Gary Condit that they needed. Condit will now have to answer to his colleagues in Congress. Several House members told CNN he had assured them privately there was no affair.
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: I took him at his word that he didn't have an affair with Chandra Levy. He obviously did -- at least it appears he did -- and it's just an incredible lesson. You need to tell the truth, and if you don't tell the truth, then everything else you say is called into question.
FRANKEN: Still on the agenda: the pressure for Congressman Condit to go public about his private life.
LOWELL: The elections are a year and three months from now. Let's find Chandra Levy and then figure out what we do from there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Assuming that Congressman Condit continues not to be a suspect, he can now try to repair his career and his life while investigators continue their search in the hope that they do not find that Chandra Levy has lost her life -- Daryn.
KAGAN: More on the congressman now, Bob. We've seen plenty of his attorney, as you mentioned, Abbe Lowell, over the weekend, but how much are you seeing of the congressman around Washington?
FRANKEN: You're not seeing him at all. Congress is out this week. The congressman is laying low. We believe he is here, but he is not staying, apparently, at his apartment. And as usual, he is doing everything he can to not be in the media - Daryn.
KAGAN: Bob Franken in Washington. Bob, thank you.
And for our viewers, CNN's Larry King looks at this high-profile missing person's case tonight. Levy family attorney, Billy Martin, will talk about the case. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
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