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American Morning

Talk with 'People' Magazine Reporter Who Interviewed Gary Condit

Aired August 24, 2001 - 10:26   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: As we mentioned a few minutes ago, "People" magazine conducted its own interview with Congressman Gary Condit.

Earlier this morning, reporter Champ Clark shared some of the highlights from that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAMP CLARK, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: There were a couple differences that I found interesting. One, in regards to Susan Levy. When she asked him, or she says she asked him, early on in the phone conversation, whether he had been involved in an affair with his daughter, Chandra, and she says that he said no. And the interesting thing is that he claimed that she never asked him that question, and therefore, there was no denial. But he also went onto say that she mentioned the names of some other congressmen, and asked if Chandra may have been involved with them. I have never heard that before, and actually I did not hear that last night as well, and I don't know what to make of that.

He -- I should say we asked him what names these were of these other congressman, and he said he did not want to name them because he didn't want to cause them the same pain that -- and the same situation -- put them in the same situation he was currently in.

KAGAN: These are some of the other questions you had to ask: "Did he ask her not to carry an ID or to get off his condo's elevator at a different floor so no one would know they were together." "No."

"Did she ever tell him she was pregnant." "No."

This, of course, some people call rumors going around in the media, also some of it coming from what Chandra Levy's aunt came out earlier and said, inferring that the two of them had had an affair and Chandra had been asked not to carry identification.

CLARK: Correct. In fact, he said those assertions were essentially ridiculous, and unfounded and not true in any way. In the ways that he would characterize his relationship with Chandra, he said they never discussed their future, there was no five-year plan. He was -- he'd never discussed leaving his wife for Chandra, and Mr. Condit married -- having a baby. Any of those thing, he said, they never came up. They never discussed whether one was in love with the other. It never happened, period.

KAGAN: And as we talk, we're seeing the photos that appear in the magazine, in the issue that does hit the newsstands this morning.

What were the restrictions? What were the conditions on the interview when you did it?

CLARK: Absolutely none.

KAGAN: No timeframe? You could have talked to him as long as you wanted to?

CLARK: Well, we knew we had an hour. There was a possibility it could go longer than that. But in regards to questions, photos, no restrictions whatsoever.

KAGAN: I think the picture, if we could put that up, of Carolyn Condit with her husband, the most striking of the piece, to see them together like that, which is not a situation we've been able to have. Was she present during the interview, and did she have anything to say?

CLARK: She was not present during the actual interview. We did the photoshoot first, and then at the conclusion of the photoshoot, she excused herself and left the room. She did stay there for a period of time and then left the location.

KAGAN: Gary Condit last night was also very insistent that he has been very cooperative with police. You also asked him questions about that. Let's put that question up there, where he says: "I have done everything they asked me to do, in terms of the police. I answered every question that law enforcement asked me in every interview. I answered every question truthfully. I had nothing to do with the disappearance of Chandra Levy."

The Congressman was very insistent upon that, both in your interview, and during also during the television interviews?

CLARK: Absolutely. He said from day one essentially, and certainly through I believe the four interviews with authorities, basically his -- I'd say his stock answer he repeated it over and over and over again and volunteered it several times as well, that he answered every question that was put to him and answered them truthfully, and...

KAGAN: I'm sorry, but our time is short, Champ.

CLARK: Sure.

KAGAN: The congressman said over and over again he's not going to talk about the exact relationship with Chandra Levy out of respect to the Levy family. Seems strange, that the Levys just want the truth to come out. Did you get any response from the Levy family for your article?

CLARK: No, actually we went to the Levys just prior to day of the interview with the congressman, because of timing situations, and our own deadlines, we were not able to go to them after the interview. Our request they said they prefer to not give a comment at that time, and perhaps sometime in the near future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The "People" issue with the Condit interview hits the newsstands today.

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