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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Parents of Missing Intern Ask Congressman Condit to Take Lie Detector Test

Aired July 09, 2001 - 20:00   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.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Tonight: sources say he's admitted to an affair with Chandra Levy. Now, the missing intern's family wants Congressman Gary Condit to take a lie detector test. His lawyer says it's time for investigators to look in new directions. I'll discuss the case with former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova and a former D.C. homicide detective.

Doctors reattached his severed arm, but an 8-year-old boy attacked by a shark is now fighting for his life. We'll get a live update.

Floods have washed out roads and bridges and damaged thousands of homes in West Virginia. As officials take stock, more rain is in the forecast. Our Jeff Flock is on the scene.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from Washington.

The investigation into the whereabouts of missing federal intern Chandra Levy continues to take strange twists. Still no hard leads, but her family is asking the D.C. Police Department to ask Congressman Gary Condit of California to take a lie detector test.

Police sources say Condit has acknowledged having had an affair with her, although they maintain he has cooperated with their investigation and is not a suspect, and that's our top story.

While Gary Condit has been interviewed three times by police, Chandra Levy's parents say they're not convinced the congressman has been cooperative because Condit had previously denied having an affair with Levy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN LEVY, CHANDRA'S MOTHER: I have authorized Mr. Martin to go ahead and ask for a polygraph test. Mr. Condit has not been very truthful to me up until now, and I think there are things that are unknown and the truth has to come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Only moments ago, Condit's attorney Abbe Lowell responded to the Levys. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBE LOWELL, CONDIT ATTORNEY: I will work with the police and do with the police what they find useful and the congressman will be as cooperative as he possibly can be.

With respect to lie detectors, I know there's a great public appeal for lie detectors, but I know from my own practice that they leave a lot to be desired. If the police call me and tell me at some point they think no matter how suspect it might be can helpful, I will discuss it with them. But I will discuss it with them and not with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In the meantime CNN has learned a flight attendant has said Condit encouraged her to withhold information is to meet here in Washington tomorrow with representatives from the U.S. Attorney office.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken has been tracking the story and he now joins us live from our Washington bureau.

First of all, Bob, on this development on the flight attendant Anne Marie Smith, what is that all about?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Wolf, she's going to be arriving in Washington tomorrow and will meet with the U.S. Attorney's office on Wednesday. What that is about is, there was an affidavit that was presented to Anne Marie Smith asking her to deny that she had claimed that she had a romantic relationship with Congressman Gary Condit.

The claim made that that was Condit and his representatives trying to get her to sign a false statement. Condit's attorney's say, they just presented her with an affidavit, with a heading saying, edit anyway you can.

We have learned that the U.S. Attorney's office here in Washington has made the request to sit down and discuss matters with Anne Marie Smith and her attorney James Robinson. That meeting will be held on Wednesday at the U.S. Attorney's request.

BLITZER: And only a few minutes ago, Abbe Lowell did speak to reporters, issued another statement. What was the thrust of these latest remarks of Gary Condit's attorney?

FRANKEN: First of all, the main thrust was, news media, leave us alone. Of course, that's been a theme the last couple of days. It was in the context of a letter sent by Abbe Lowell sent to network television executives, asking that the stake outs, the presence of camera crews at the homes of Condit in Washington and California be withdrawn.

He also went on to say, he is announcing that he will cooperate with investigators, the police, anyway he can -- provide any records, provide access to Condit's apartment if the police deem it necessary. By the way, a police source says he does not consider it necessary thus far, and in fact, as we just heard, would in fact discuss with the police the use of a lie detector if the police said it was something they wanted to do.

He did not commit to doing it, but said, he would discuss it with the police. I will point out that the police officials that we talked to are really quite noncommittal by the idea.

BLITZER: And what about the whole issue of searching his apartment which the police apparently have not yet done?

FRANKEN: No, we were told by a police source that when Condit invited the police officers to the apartment for his first interview, they came in, they did not conduct a search. Still do not feel that there is any reason to, but the police officials I talked to, who are very knowledgeable about the investigation say, it is something that may come up later.

As one of them put it, he has invited us. We will see if we need to at another time.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, Gary Condit, who has been a very popular congressman back home in California is finding some problems right now, his constituents are beginning to wonder about this case. CNN's Rusty Dornin has the story from Modesto.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Talk may be cheap, but on the airwaves in Congressman Gary Condit's district, after his third interview with police reportedly revealed he had been having an affair with Chandra levy, it's talk that could cost him much-needed support.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My first reaction was to give him the benefit of the doubt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now how do you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, after three strikes and you're out, obviously, he has something to hide. Whether it's more than the affair needs to be explored.

DORNIN: Local radio talk shows, sometimes a barometer of which way the political winds blow. Here, the weather is definitely changing.

DAVE THOMAS, KFIV RADIO: The big difference is we received positive calls last week. We received one modestly positive call in three hours today. People are upset.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he had been honest with the police and told them what he knew in the very beginning, eight or nine weeks ago, maybe they would have found this girl.

DORNIN: In a place where many just referred to their congressman as Gary, the silence is deafening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't care about the lawyers. We don't care about the PR firms. This is Condit Country. We expect Gary Condit to be forthcoming.

DORNIN: For weeks support for Congressman Condit here has been strong but for the most part silent. But in the face of recent reports, the fact that he is still quiet has everybody here talking.

Rusty Dornin, CNN, Modesto, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Later in our program, we'll have much more on the Chandra Levy investigation. I'll talk live with a former U.S. Attorney and a former D.C. homicide detective.

In other news tonight, President Bush pushed items on his agenda, while one of his spokesmen said remarks from the chairman of the NAACP went "too far" in criticizing the president. Julian Bond, chairman of the civil rights group, had strongly criticized the policies of President Bush at the group's meeting Sunday.

Bond said some of the president's nominees came from what he called the "Taliban wing of American Politics." And that they showed a "nearly canine" devotion to the Confederacy. Mr. Bush didn't attend the conference, but sent videotaped remarks.

Meanwhile, President Bush, at a hospital in Virginia today, pushed for a patients' bill of rights, saying it is one of his top three priorities for July. The president remains opposed to a version that has already passed the Democratic-led Senate.

After a dramatic rescue from a shark, and a seemingly successful operation to reattached his severed arm, an 8-year-old boy is fighting for his life in a Florida hospital. Let's go live to CNN national correspondent Brian Cabell from Pensacola -- Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the mood has changed here over the day. It's gotten just a little bit more somber. For the last couple of days, the focus was all on the dramatic rescue on Friday night, but now there is an increasing realization that this boy is indeed now struggling for his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL (voice-over): He lies in a hospital room, clinging to life, surrounded by family, monitored by doctors and nurses.

DR. REX NORTHUP, SACRED HEART HOSPITAL: This type of injury is one that unfortunately things can deteriorate and can do that quickly.

CABELL: Just a few days ago, 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast was frolicking in the surf near Pensacola. The calm, warm Gulf water, so popular with tourists, reached up to his knees. Then a shark attacked the boy.

CHRIS WARNOCK, PARAMEDIC: He had no pulse, he had no respiration at all. He was clinically dead.

DR. GREG SMITH, DOCTOR ON THE SCENE: He was very pale, the arm was severed and missing at that point. We did not know where it was.

CABELL: The arm was, in fact, inside the seven-foot long shark. The boy's uncle pulled the shark out of the water. Two other men shot the shark and extracted the arm from the animal's gullet. All this, while an emergency helicopter raced with Jessie's nearly lifeless body back to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.

DR. JACK TYSON, BAPTIST HOSPITAL: I gave very little chance for this child when I started. And then when his heart started and everybody looked at each other and goes "he has heart activity!" Then we say, "does he have pressure?" We feel his major blood vessels, "yes, I can feel a pulse."

CABELL: It took 11 hours, but doctors managed to reattach Jessie's arm successfully.

DR. JULIET DECAMPOS: First he will get the ability to bend and straighten his elbow and try to turn his forearm and use his wrist, and we're hopeful that he'll have some use of his fingers, but his sensation won't be normal, 12-18 months before we really know.

CABELL: That's the good news for Jessie. He'll likely keep his arm. The more difficult question, doctors say, is will he live, and will his brain be damaged?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL: Doctors say the next few days will be critical for Jessie. If he regains consciousness, then they say there's a pretty good prognosis for him.

Brian Cabell, CNN, Pensacola, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Brian.

Should Congressman Gary Condit take a lie detector test? Or should the Chandra Levy investigation take a new course? I'll ask former D.C. homicide detective Ted Williams and former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova.

And, West Virginia's governor says the flooding there is as bad as he's ever seen, is more rain on the way?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Joining me now are two men who may be able to shed light on where things stand and where they are going. Former D.C. homicide detective Ted Williams and former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova.

Thanks to both of you for joining us.

I want to begin with you Joe on this issue of a lie detector test. Is this a series issue or not a serious issue?

JOSEPH DIGENOVA, ATTORNEY: It is certainly a serious issue for the Levy family, and the reason is, it is a piece of strategy for them to actually go out and force the issue and keep them in the limelight. Keep the case in the limelight. However, Abbe Lowell and his client will never agree to take one.

BLITZER: What about that, Ted?

TED WILLIAMS, ATTORNEY: I would agree. I think this is ratcheting it up a little higher. They are saying, come in here, you have not told the truth, you didn't tell the truth the first time, you didn't tell the truth the second time you were interviewed, and we now want you to take a polygraph exam.

It is to make the Levy family -- make him do something, but he is not going to do it. I agree with Joe.

BLITZER: Is the police department treating Gary Condit differently than they would if he were not a congressman?

DIGENOVA: Sure they are. In fact it's fairly obvious what they have tried to do is not put him in a position in looking like they were trying to take him on. I think it remains to be seen whether or not they pulled punches in the investigation, whether or not they were as thorough as they should have been.

And I must say I have to disagree with whoever the police official was who said it was unnecessary to search his apartment. It was essential to search his apartment at the first availability opportunity in a missing person's case. They have no idea what kind of evidence they would have found, and to say they might search it sometime in the future is ridiculous.

BLITZER: Ted, you've been involved in these kinds of investigations -- is Joe right?

WILLIAMS: He is 100 percent right. You know, it is an embarrassment to say that you're looking for a missing person and you have the congressman there, and you treat him with kid gloves. I believe they are treating and have treated this congressman with kid gloves. Certainly, they should have searched his apartment immediately.

BLITZER: But don't they need, Joe, some hard evidence of a crime before they go ahead and take these extraordinary steps, like searching someone's apartments or subpoenaing records and other issues? DIGENOVA: No, they really don't. In this situation where you have a missing person and you need all the evidence you can get, since the congressman had already agreed to be interviewed the first time, there would have been nothing improper about saying, especially since there was evidence she had been there or talked to him or as he put it, was a good friend -- they could have asked to search that, if not originally, later on.

With regard to records, absolutely essential to get every conceivable record, bank, medical, financial, to try to find out anything. Especially from the Congressman. The fact -- if they have not asked for those records up until now, I would be absolutely shocked.

BLITZER: What about that, two months plus into the investigation, and some of these things that probably should have been done early on, have not been done -- is it too late?

WILLIAMS: I don't think it's actually too late, but I do believe that they have screwed up this investigation to some degree and meaning they, the police department.

Condit should have been asked the hard and fast questions during the first interview. When you are listen to his attorney, he is saying that Condit cooperated. I don't believe he cooperated.

BLITZER: What about that? If he wasn't asked the right questions in that first interview, the second interview but only in the third interview, was he pressed on the nature of the relationship, is it Gary Condit's fault or is it the police department's fault?

DIGENOVA: Well, I clearly -- it would be the police department's fault. Their responsibility is to press and to press hard. And obviously, the congressman has a duty to be forthcoming and honest. If they asked him a general question and he chose not to be completely forthcoming, it's quite obvious that when the police department on Saturday night said they had to challenge him, they had to go back and challenge him to get clarifications.

I think that's putting a lovely (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on what was probably a pretty ugly situation and which would have been an ugly situation I think for an average citizen.

BLITZER: But in defense of Gary Condit, Ted, his lawyer Abbe Lowell says whatever the police want, you heard him tonight live on CNN, whatever the police want, if it will help the investigation, if it might bring some knowledge about the whereabouts of Chandra Levy, we will cooperate. What is wrong with that?

WILLIAMS: There is nothing wrong with it, other than the fact that Abbe Lowell is a excellent spin doctor. It's a spin. The congressman should have been cooperating all along. He should have voluntarily been cooperating. This is a United States congressman who had some information in the beginning of this information, concerning Chandra Levy, and he didn't bring that information forward! BLITZER: You are a former U.S. Attorney here in D.C. As you know, representatives -- you heard Bob Franken reported this tonight -- representative from the U.S. Attorney's office will meet with Anne Marie Smith, a flight attendant, her attorney.

She allegations an affair with the congressman, and allegations that he and his representatives tried to get her to sign an affidavit denying that affair. What does all that mean from the perspective of the U.S. Attorney's office?

DIGENOVA: I think it means, clearly, Congressman Condit knew that that draft affidavit was false when it was submitted to her, because apparently, he knew he was having an affair with her. If he attempted to influence someone who was a potential witness in a case, whether it was a missing person case or a crime, that could be a very serious matter.

BLITZER: When you say a very serious matter, how serious.

DIGENOVA: It could be tampering with a witness, obstruction of justice, or perhaps, intimidating a witness. The fact that they want to interview her, means that this has been viewed seriously enough that they need to take some testimony from her, and that's a pretty serious matter.

BLITZER: Very briefly, Ted, should there be a grand jury convene to deal specifically with this case?

WILLIAMS: I think they should. I don't think that Congressman Condit has been forthcoming. I think that a grand jury with him under oath that we may get to the truth of everything he knows. I believe a grand jury should be had.

BLITZER: Do you agree.

DIGENOVA: I concur.

BLITZER: OK, Ted Williams and Joseph diGenova, thanks for joining me here in Washington. Appreciate it very much.

DIGENOVA: Thank you.

BLITZER: Heavy rains leave parts of West Virginia in bad shape. When we return, a live report on the aftermath of flooding. And a look at how bad things got during the flooding. And a high-tech approach to advertising on the road when we continue. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

National Guard helicopters have been surveying the southern part of West Virginia today, assessing the damage left by heavy rains in the region. Governor Bob Wise has declared a state of emergency in eight counties. CNN's Jeff Flock is in Fayetteville, West Virginia, with the latest -- Jeff? JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Wolf, just on the edge of Fayetteville, this is actually Beckwith, West Virginia -- one little slice tonight for you for what things have looked like here.

This is Laurel Creek that overflowed -- picture about 15 or 20 more feet of water in that.

One house for you tonight. Take a look: This is the second floor of this house. Look at the way it's been washed by the floodwaters, take a look at the back where the foundation is coming away, the back wall is coming away.

I want to give you an up close and personal look at house. Rick, if follow me around this way, you get some sense of how much power this water had. I don't think you get any better indication of that than poking your head inside their front door. Take a look.

About 20 inches we measured of sand inside this house. And a lot of these houses have the same sort of problems. One thing before we get away, Wolf, one more look.

We talked to the folks that live here, an elderly couple, they don't see any way they will be able to restore this home, but before we get away, one look inside -- what does a house look like that has been flooded in this way? Poke your head inside there, Rick, and take a look.

This was were their living room. Furniture, pieces of furniture, piled on top of each other, again, about a foot of sand in there. The water got up about neck-level on the first floor of this house.

Just one little slice for you from Beckwith, West Virginia. This all over the South-central West Virginia.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jeff Flock.

In Massachusetts, meanwhile, a former youth minister pleaded guilty today to what prosecutors call the largest child abuse case in that state's history. Christopher Reardon was convicted of 75 counts of child molestation and now faces life in prison. The 29-year-old faced 130 charges involving 29 boys. He'll be sentenced next month.

In a rare Monday final, Goran Ivanisevic won the Wimbledon men's tennis title, beating Australian Patrick Rafter. The Croatian is the first wild card player to win a major men's title. It's also his first win in a tournament where he was a runner-up in 1992, '94 and '98.

Troubles on Wall Street are making saving for retirement tougher. According to an industry report, the average 401(k) retirement plan lost money last year for the first time in the plan's 20-year history. Much of the losses are blamed on drops in stock market prices.

On the "Leading Edge" tonight, the Pentagon put its patriot missile to the test and got mixed results. Officials dubbed it a partial success after a Pac-3 missile hit a pilotless plane and a second missed a dummy warhead. The Pac-3 is a high velocity "hit-to- kill" missile, and is the next generation of patriots being developed.

Another Internet-driven business has run out of gas. On-line grocer Webvan shut down today. It's filing for bankruptcy and letting 2,000 workers go. The struggling company began selling groceries over the Internet two years ago and never made a profit.

Advertisers have a new way to get their instant message across to busy consumers. In New York, a company types its message into a computer which sends it to a satellite. That beams it to receivers on top of yellow cabs, an instant-electronic billboard on the move.

Up next, I'll open our mailbag. One of you wonders whether the D.C. police would be dealing differently with Gary Condit if he weren't a Congressman.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Time now to open our mailbag. We continue to receive lots of reaction to the Chandra Levy case.

This from Roberta in Corona, California: "Remember what the Washington Police Department said about the case: this is not about sex. This is about a missing girl."

Bette Jean from Long Beach, California: "If Condit was the local guy who ran the gas station, would everyone tip-toe so much around him? If an average Joe turned out to have lied about an affair would police say there was no connection to a missing person?"

This from Digby in Los Angeles: "Why Chandra's aunt take so long to come forward with confirmation of the affair? The longer the mystery persists, the less chance the authorities have of finding out what happened."

Mike from Austin, Texas: "Keep up the good work in the search of the truth, Wolf. My heart goes out to the family."

Remember, I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me: wolf@cnn.com. And you can read my daily on-line column and sign up for my e-mail previewing our nightly programs by going to my Web site: cnn.com/wolf.

Please stay with CNN throughout the night. The Levy family attorney, Billy Martin, is Larry King's guest at the top of the hour.

Tomorrow night, we'll have more on the Chandra Levy investigation. Until then, thanks very much for watching.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN" begins right now.

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