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CNN Live Sunday

Congressman Condit's Lawyer Criticizes the Media

Aired July 08, 2001 - 17:00   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.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Much talk today in the missing person's case of missing Washington intern Chandra Levy, which has taken a dramatic turn this weekend. Congressman Gary Condit's lawyer, defending his client's conduct on television and criticizing the media for hounding the California lawmaker and his family. Condit reportedly admitted to an affair with the missing government intern during a third interview with the District of Columbia police Friday night. CNN's Bob Franken brings us up to date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (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.

FRANKEN (on camera): As long as he continues to not be a suspect, Gary Condit can go about trying to repair his career and his life. While investigators continue to search, still hoping that Chandra Levy has not lost her life.

Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: The congressman hasn't publicly responded since this story broke. He has been leaving it up to spokespeople and written statements, but his silence is not sitting well with some constituents in his home district, California's 18th District. Some of them are beginning to weigh in, and CNN's Martin Savidge in Modesto, California has been hearing about that. Martin, hello again.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Stephen. The reaction of constituents here in the 18th congressional district is not probably the reaction that the people connected with Condit's office would like to hear. There was a scathing full-page editorial that was in this morning's local newspaper here that was highly critical of both the actions on the part of the congressman and also his continued silence.

Someone else who can talk to us about the feelings in this community is Dave Thomas. He is the talk show host on AM radio here in the congressional district, and let's get the record straight: you were a supporter -- still are of the congressman?

DAVE THOMAS, LOCAL RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I certainly have been a supporter. He 00 we think of Gary as Gary. He has represented us, especially when he was in the legislature, quite well.

SAVIDGE: What are the feelings today, though?

THOMAS: Well, I think I, like many other folks here, are very confused. We don't understand the actions of a man that we think of as a family man, as one of us.

SAVIDGE: And the other person who is one of us is Chandra Levy, and she lives here, and that's the other factor that plays into all of this. THOMAS: Actually, that's probably the single point that makes this so much different than any other national scandal we've ever heard of. Chandra went to school with my weather girl. My two sons are contemporaneous with Gary's two children. The extended families, both extended families are suffering here, and we are suffering along with them. This is not a good thing. People are somber about that.

SAVIDGE: Chandra Levy obviously is the most critical factor, but politics come into play. Do you think that people here are feeling uncomfortable about the man who represents them and whether they would vote again for him?

THOMAS: I think that we never thought of Gary in a political way. We thought of him as being our representative, in that his votes were on balance for us. And this whole thing has become a political problem, not something I think we are used to dealing with.

SAVIDGE: Very quickly, the attorney that represents the congressman has said, look, there is a private life, there is a public life. How does that wash here in this community and this district?

THOMAS: I don't agree with that personally, and I think most people -- my listeners certainly don't. You can't differentiate between one of our youngsters being lost and a congressman who won't talk about it.

SAVIDGE: Dave Thomas, thank you very much for joining us.

The feelings in Modesto are mirrored very much in what he has to say. There is a lot of soul-searching going on in this community and the district -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: From Modesto, California, Martin Savidge. Marty, thank you.

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