Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Congressman Gary Condit to do Television Interview Thursday

Aired August 21, 2001 - 09:05   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: California Congressman Gary Condit is preparing to break his public silence over the Chandra Levy disappearance. Condit has agreed to a television interview, and he says he also plans to communicate directly with his constituents.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joins us from Condit's home district in Modesto, California, with more details.

Good morning, Bob.

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

And, of course, here it is early in the morning, but we are expecting later, probably today, a mass mailing by Congressman Gary Condit. That is the direct communication with his constituents that you moment -- mentioned a moment ago. It is part of an offensive to try and recover the political momentum. He has been staggering, of course, since the controversy over Chandra Levy, 24-year-old missing Washington intern, and his omission, according to police sources, that he had an affair with Chandra Levy.

This has been a controversy that's been going on for well over three months. Condit is now striking back. There is going to be this mass mailing to constituents, if not today, sometime this week.

And then on Thursday of this week, he does his first television interview. After a fierce competition among television networks, including CNN, Condit chose Connie Chung of ABC to do the interview, a half hour taped interview on Thursday which will be broadcast later in the day in the evening on ABC prime time at 10:00 p.m. Thursday. That will be the first television interview. Other media are going to follow, according to the statement that came out. Other media to include local newspaper interviews, perhaps another television interview or two.

Condit has decided that it is time to respond to the pressure as poll after poll, informal polls at this point, show that his political position is deteriorating. Condit has won every election in his political life. The next one is 14 months from now, and he and his supporters hope that is time to recover -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Bob, I still can't believe that Condit is going to talk to Connie Chung and not to you. Do you know how she was selected? FRANKEN: Well, Connie Chung, of course, is an established correspondent, one who has a reputation for doing the tough interview. There was quite a competition among the various correspondents of television, competition among those at ABC, and this was a competition that involved talking to any number of the Condit advisers both here in Modesto and in Washington where there is a big team of lawyers and advisers supporting Gary Condit. The selection, according to Marina Ein, was a tough one, but they settled on Connie Chung as an established reporter and ABC because of its mass distribution.

PHILLIPS: Bob Franken, live from Modesto, thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com