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CNN Live Sunday
Congressman Condit's Constituents Want Him to Speak Out
Aired July 08, 2001 - 17:20 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: More now on our top story, the Chandra Levy case. There were harsh words today for the media's treatment of the man in the middle of it all, Congressman Gary Condit of California. He reportedly admitted to having an affair with the missing intern during a third interview with District of Columbia police on Friday.
Condit's lawyer Abbe Lowell today defended his client's public silence on the matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBE LOWELL, CONDIT'S ATTORNEY: He has given them every shred of information to help them try to find her. And what he has said to them and what they have said back is just not something that we are sharing with the public or the media, for a couple of reasons. One of which: this is an ongoing case, this woman has not been found, and we could inadvertently make things harder to find her by giving public disclosure of bits and pieces of information that only the police have the right to know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRAZIER: Abbe Lowell speaking there to CNN's Wolf Blitzer. And as CNN's Frank Buckley reports now, this silence he spoke about is resonating poorly in Condit's home district.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fertile soil of Central California's farm land is known as Condit country, Gary Condit enjoying strong support from voters here. Nearly seven in 10 voted to re-elect him in the last election.
But the stories about Gary Condit blowing through the communities that make up the 18th congressional district are causing some constituents to qualify their support.
MAYOR CARMEN SABATINO, MODESTO, CALIFORNIA: I think, like I said, he was highly respected, and I think there is a diminishment of that respect right now.
BUCKLEY: Many here wondering why Condit himself isn't responding to the headlines and the questions raised in the wake of Chandra Levy's disappearance.
TROY MEDETROS, MODESTO RESIDENT: I think if this guy Gary is, you know, clean, he should come forward and say, you know, he is clean, or whatever.
BUCKLEY: Condit was, after all, among those who urged President Clinton to respond publicly to the allegations surrounding the Lewinsky matter in September 1998 interview with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, SEPTEMBER 1998)
REP. GARY CONDIT (D), CALIFORNIA: And the fact is, this information is going to get out eventually anyway. Let's just do it all at once, see where the chips fall, and then let's get on to making the decision of what we're going to do about what we think happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: In Condit's case, he has avoided reporters, while allegations emerged from various quarters: from Levy's aunt, who says Condit had an affair with the former intern, from a flight attendant who claimed Condit asked her to lie about their alleged affair, something denied by Condit in a statement, from a former driver who claims Condit's public image didn't always match his private life.
VINCE FLAMMIN, FORMER CONDIT DRIVER: Gary to me I feel is a good congressman, but I also felt that if he was in the -- he could easily win an Oscar.
KAREN FREDRIKSZ, CONDIT CONSTITUENT: It would be nice to really hear from him.
BUCKLEY: Constituents, like Karen Fredriksz, a long-time supporter of the congressman, who helped her cut through immigration snags in adopting her three children from South Korea, say they just want to hear Condit speak.
FREDRIKSZ: Everybody else keeps coming out with things that they are saying, and then -- but he is not really contradicting anything or anything like that, so maybe that's what bothers me a little bit. If you have nothing to hide, then why don't you just say so.
BUCKLEY (on camera): Spokespersons for Congressman Condit say he is fully cooperating with authorities, but he is not planning to engage in any interviews with reporters or to hold any news conference, a statement saying he does not believe would, quote, "do anything positive or constructive in the effort to locate Chandra."
Frank Buckley, CNN, Modesto, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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