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American Morning
Staffers Defend Congressman Gary Condit
Aired August 31, 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn to our special coverage of Congressman Gary Condit. The embattled California congressman has seen his public support crumble in the withering media glare of the Chandra Levy case. But those who arguably know Gary Condit best, his staffers, say that their support for him remains unshaken.
Five members of his inner circle spoke exclusively last night with CNN's Larry King.
National correspondent Bob Franken has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They have tried to keep a low profile, but it's nearly impossible for anyone associated with Congressman Gary Condit to keep a low profile these days.
PAT AUSTIN, CONDIT STAFF ASSISTANT: We all love Gary.
LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE": Love him?
AUSTIN: Yes, yes, we all love Gary.
FRANKEN: And that's why the members of Condit's staff say they're the latest to take part in an ongoing surrogate strategy. But they're split about what he should do.
MAGGIE MEJIA, CONDIT FIELD REPRESENTATIVE: I do want him to run again, and I see the future of the Valley. And Gary has done so much for the Valley. And after he's gone, everyone is going to kick themselves in the butt for allowing this to happen.
JACKIE MULLEN, CONDIT EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: I think he should say, I don't need this anymore.
KING: You think he should not run?
MULLEN: I think he should not have to put up with that he has had to put up with, and I think -- no. I don't think he should.
FRANKEN: Congressman Condit's staff members denied for weeks that Condit was having an affair with Chandra Levy. Now, they say, they really had no idea. MICHAEL DAYTON, CONDIT CHIEF OF STAFF: I have heard of this woman, but I don't even put them together.
FRANKEN (on camera): The staff members were sent out with a mission: to explain why their boss was a good guy. They stayed on message. There were no answers to the many, many unanswered questions.
(voice-over): Why, for instance, just hours before Congressman Condit's apartment was searched by police, at his invitation in July, did his Washington chief of staff drive the congressman to Alexandria, Virginia, to throw out a bag of garbage that included a watch box -- the watch a gift from a former staffer, who says she had an affair with Condit.
DAYTON: That's, you know, one area that as you know is under investigation. And my attorney thought I was crazy for coming on here tonight to talk, but, you know, so I'm not going to be able to go into the details on that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: In addition to the unanswered questions, there is this development: All members of the California Congressional Delegation have gotten a proposed new redrawing of congressional boundaries.
In the Condit case, CNN has learned, according to Condit sources, the new district for Gary Condit would include 40 percent new voters that critics say will make harder for him to run for reelection -- but 16 percent margin to -- a 16 percent margin over registered Republicans for the registered Democrats, as opposed to current one, where there's only 5 percent, leading a Condit source to say: In fact, it is good news.
However, he went on to say that will not have much influence on what Condit's decision is about whether he will stay in politics -- Leon.
HARRIS: Interesting.
Bob, I have to ask you. I mean, you know me. I'm not a betting man. But I'm betting that somebody has got to be questioning the credibility of those staff members if they can come right out and say that Congressman Condit did not tell them the truth for a long period of time and left them out there telling stories that weren't necessarily true. And then they go right on the air and defend him nonetheless.
FRANKEN: Well, people have to decide for themselves whether they believe that the staff members just decided not to ask because they didn't feel it was appropriate or decided not to ask so they didn't know, so they could creditably claim that they didn't know.
HARRIS: All right. So since the mission here is to rehabilitate his image right now, what is the next step for the congressman in that regard? FRANKEN: Well, of course, there is an evolving media strategy. There are meetings all the time. One of the questions, of course, is: Would he want to go on and perhaps try and do an interview to -- quote -- "set things right." That's quoting one of his staff members.
There are discussions, of course, mainly about what Condit is going to do about his political future. They are analyzing these redistricting plans. Again, the Condit people say this is not necessarily the bad news that others have said that it would be. They are also discussing possibly his announcing that he won't seek reelection, just ask the voters, in effect, to cut them some slack.
And, of course, there's always the possibility that Condit may decide to hunker down and fight this out, remembering that the election is about 14 months away.
And I should point out that tomorrow, it will be the four-month anniversary of the disappearance of Chandra Levy.
HARRIS: Good point. Good point.
And 14 months in politics is an eternity.
Bob Franken in Modesto, California, thanks. We'll talk with you later on.
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