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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Condit Returns to Congress

Aired September 04, 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, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, Condit's return. As Congress ends its summer recess, the spotlight is still on Gary Condit. Will the controversy overshadow the work of 434 other representatives? Can Condit do his job? Can they do theirs?

I'll look at how things got to this point and whether Condit is already an outcast. We'll get perspective from Colorado Republican Scott McInnis, who's angrily has called for Condit's resignation and from New York Democrat Charlie Rangel, who sees a lot of smoke, but no fire.

The aftermath of shark attack, coping with the tragedy. His nephew was first victim of this summer's fatal shark attacks. I'll speak live with James Peltier.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from Capitol Hill.

Embattled Democratic Congressman Gary Condit is preparing to return to Washington. He spent the past month in his home district thinking about his future. Some things haven't changed. The police are continuing their search for Chandra Levy.

There are still no hard leads, but some things have changed. The mood of Congress toward Condit is quite different today than it was when he left, as CNN national correspondent Bob Franken reports. And that's our focus tonight, Condit's return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Congressman Gary Condit was wondering as he escaped the media frenzy in Washington, what could possibly cause things to be worse politically for him? Now he knows.

REP. GARY CONDIT (D), CALIFORNIA: Innuendoes, rumors, you know unnamed sources. It's kind of anything goes.

FRANKEN: Condit's efforts to turn things around turned all right, on him. His struggle to stay afloat, despite the flood of controversy over his relationship with Chandra Levy, has gotten more difficult as friends jump ship.

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: I am disheartened that Congressman Condit did not speak out more quickly or more fully.

FRANKEN: That public reprimand infuriated the Condit family. So much so apparently, that the congressman's two grown children who worked for Governor Davis had heard enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")

LARRY KING, HOST: But you still are working for him?

CHAD CONDIT, GARY CONDIT'S SON: Right, this second.

KING: As of this minute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: But not for long. The next day, Chad Condit and his sister drove to the governor's office and quit. The bad reviews following Condit's media blitz came from everywhere. The largest newspaper in his district, "The Modesto Bee" called on him repeatedly to resign once, twice then three times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you heard anything today?

FRANKEN: Chandra Levy's parents, who spent so much time tightening the vice on Condit during the four months their daughter's been missing, suddenly went nearly silent, letting others criticize the congressman like Washington police chief Charles Ramsey.

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: The congressman was not exactly forthcoming in all those interviews.

FRANKEN: About the only good word came from Condit's heretofore reclusive staff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")

PAT AUSTIN, CONDIT AIDE: And we all love Gary.

LARRY KING: Love him?

AUSTIN: Yes, yes, we all love Gary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: Well, there's no love lost between Condit and the Democrats right now, fellow Democrats in Washington, where he's heading as he contemplates his political future, Wolf or the lack thereof.

Wolf?

BLITZER: Bob, I spoke to Mike Lynch, Condit's chief of staff, just a little while ago. He told me Condit would be on the House floor at some point tomorrow, but I didn't learn when he would be leaving California. Do we have any idea when he's leaving California for Washington?

FRANKEN: Welcome to the club. I've tried everything but torture to find out if we could get the answer about that. The congressman very, very badly wants to avoid being greeted by cameras when he arrives at the airport. Of course, he's certainly going to be surrounded by cameras every time he appears in public while he's back in D.C.

BLITZER: OK, Bob Franken once again in Modesto. Thank you very much. And it's now more than four months since Chandra Levy disappeared. And Gary Condit has become almost a pariah among his colleagues. It didn't start out that way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): At first, members of the Congress remained silent. But as the Chandra Levy investigation continued with Congressman Condit avoiding public comment, a handful of Republicans began to speak out.

REP. BOB BARR (R), GEORGIA: Mr. Condit ought to step down. The reputation of the House of Representatives is something that is very important to all Americans, but especially those that have the honor of serving in the House.

BLITZER: The mood against Condit changed dramatically on July 20 when his fellow conservative or blue dog Democrat Charles Stenholm issued a statement declaring that Condit's actions and behaviors have brought controversy and discredit to his family, his district and the Congress.

But Stenholm stopped short of calling on Condit to resign. Within days, Colorado Republican Scott McInnis proposed a new rule barring members from having affairs with interns.

REP. SCOTT MCINNIS (R), COLORADO: I'd come up here and grab Gary by his collar, by his neck, and say, "Tell me what you know."

BLITZER: Still the Democratic leadership, tried to give Condit the benefit of the doubt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS")

TIM RUSSERT, HOST: But he is on if House Intelligence Committee. You know him. Is he trustworthy? Is he a man of honor?

REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: He is. Gary Condit is doing what she should do. He is cooperating with the authorities. He is answering their questions. He's trying to help find this young woman if it's possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But after Condit's news media interviews, Gephardt changed his tone.

GEPHARDT: I was disappointed by his statement. I think not being candid and straightforward was disturbing and wrong.

BLITZER: And since then, the outcry even among Democrats has increased. Already there's talk of Condit as an outcast.

CHUCK TODD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE HOTLINE": I think if they could figure out a way to put empty chairs next to him in committee meeting rooms, they could do that as well. Nobody wants to be seen with him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And the cold shoulder looks a lot more likely than the warm embrace. To discuss the welcome Gary Condit can expect, I'm joined now by Democrat Congressman Charlie Rangel of New York and Republican Scott McInnis. He joins us from Grand Junction in his home state of Colorado.

Congressmen, thanks for joining us. And first to you, Congressman McInnis, what kind of reception do you believe Congressman Condit will receive here on Capitol Hill?

MCINNIS: Oh, I think Gary's got a -- probably will receive a colder reception than when he left, but I think Gary's got do a lot of thought. He's got to do a lot of self reflection on whether or not he's able to effectively represent his district. And frankly, Dick Gephardt has to also reflect on Gary's reappearance in the Congress and as to whether or not he should continue to serve on the most sensitive and most highly secret committee in the United States, the House Intelligence Committee.

BLITZER: We'll get to that in a second. Congressman Rangel, what do you believe? What kind of reception will your colleague, Gary Condit, receive here in Congress?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Most of the members will be and awkward. It would be an embarrassing encounter. He has publicly displayed an unreasonable conduct that does not answer questions forthrightly. And I think people would just feel embarrassed just being around him.

BLITZER: Do you think, Congressman Rangel, it would do him any good to give yet another television interview and once again, try to explain his side of the story?

RANGEL: Well he didn't explain his side of the story at all. He didn't give any answers. I don't have any reason to -- I don't know why he got on television in the first place. It was -- it just made the situation worse. So the answer to your question is, if he's got to do the same thing all over, my God of course, you have to stay away from it.

But you know, he has not given answers to any of the questions. And that is why these members of Congress that just want to run him out of town, they should take that to the Ethics Committee and try to get some answers. But he has not given any public answers, and therefore, there's absolutely nothing that publicly we can charge him with.

BLITZER: Congressman McInnis, do you want an ethics committee investigation of Congressman Condit?

MCINNIS: Well, first of all, let me tell you when you hear Charlie Rangel talking as he just talked, that's clearly a change in Charlie's attitude from versus when we visited just last week. And I can assure you Charlie Rangel is probably one of the most respected Democrats on the Hill. If he's got the chills all of a sudden towards Mr. Condit, you can imagine that the rest of the Democrats will as well.

Clearly, there's a problem out there with the image of the Congress, with Mr. Condit's conduct, and -- but I think the biggest issue at hand prior to the Ethics Committee because it's such a prolonged process, is back to Dick Gephardt.

I think had a lot falls right in the leader's lap, Dick Gephardt's lap, to decide whether or not Gary Condit, with this kind of feeling amongst his colleagues, should continue on that Intelligence Committee. I think it is an easy decision to make. I think he should be immediately removed from the Intelligence Committee.

We just can't risk that kind of thing. Even if it's a temporary suspension, he should step down from that committee.

BLITZER: What about that, Congressman Rangel?

RANGEL: Wolf, I think Scott has misunderstood my position. Just because I've given you my feelings about Condit, it doesn't mean that I support what you're saying, Scott, that he ought to resign or we ought to kick him out of the Congress.

MCINNIS: Well, should he stay on the Intelligence Committee, Charlie? You want to -- should he stay on the committee?

RANGEL: That is -- I was talking about your position earlier, that he should...

MCINNIS: I know, but should he stay on that committee?

RANGEL: That he should be kicked out of the Congress. What I'm saying is...

MCINNIS: Charlie, should he stay on the Intelligence Committee? That's all I've asked you.

RANGEL: That is not his decision whether he stays on or off.

MCINNIS: I'm asking you, your input.

RANGEL: I do not have enough information. I didn't put him on that committee. I can't take him off that committee. You have no idea as to whether or not he's a threat to our national security. What you should do is check what your leadership has appointed to him to the committee. We should check with our leadership. He was recommended by Gephardt. And we should be guided by their judgment. But this whole idea...

MCINNIS: I will if you will, Charlie.

RANGEL: Of course, I will obey.

MCINNIS: OK...

RANGEL: Of course I will obey. But I just don't believe just because you're angry, annoyed, embarrassed, that you should jump the gun, throw out the process. And just have the guy kicked out of the Congress or force him to resign, than to do these type of things.

MCINNIS: Charlie, keep in mind...

RANGEL: We have an Ethics Committee.

MCINNIS: Fine. Charlie, keep in mind, put the anger aside, put the rhetoric aside. The fact is there's a missing girl out there. The fact is Congressman Condit's conduct has not been forthcoming with the police. You heard it from the chief of police. How much more do you want? How much more should this family go through?

RANGEL: You know, I don't know your background, Scott, but you're not in law enforcement. It is not your job to investigate the tragic loss of Chandra Levy. That's not our job.

MCINNIS: So we turn a blind eye towards our own standards, Charlie? Should we just ignore this?

RANGEL: If you believe, if you sincerely believe that you can identify something wrong that Condit has done, you have the obligation to take that to the Ethics Committee and not run around, like some people, do charging that they should investigate. Give them reasons why they should investigate. But the whole idea that you would want to start an investigation of the loss of Chandra Levy, that's so unfair.

MCINNIS: Charlie, I don't know where you came up with that. You know there you go again putting words in peoples' mouth. The fact is, let's talk about one issue and that's the Intelligence Committee. You have agreed to go to your leadership. I clearly -- my leadership's aware of my position.

RANGEL: I did not agree. I'm saying you should.

MCINNIS: Well, I thought just a few minutes ago, you said you would. Let's be clear here.

RANGEL: I would -- I don't know whether you deliberately are misunderstanding. My position is...

MCINNIS: Now, Charlie. RANGEL: That I would -- please don't do that. It's so impolite, Scott. What I did say was is if Gephardt removed him from the committee, I would abide by that decision. That's what I said.

BLITZER: Well, Congressman Mcinnis, what about what Congressman Rangel says. Why not take some specific piece of evidence, some complaint that you have, to the House Ethics Committee and ask for an investigation?

MCINNIS: Well, Wolf, as you know there's already a matter pending in regards to this, asking for an investigation by I think Representative Barr of Georgia. I also have a matter pending in front of the Ethics Committee in regards to that rule, which you earlier referred to, and that is a prohibition against inappropriate sexual relationships between members of Congress and student interns. And that's what the interns are.

So the matter, but the Ethics Committee, as you know from our previous discussions, the Ethics Committee process takes a long period of time. In the meantime, the Congressman will be there tomorrow. And I think that the Democratic leadership has some very tough decisions to make. And I think Gary Condit has some very tough decisions to make, but they need to be made.

RANGEL: As I understood, the question which you avoided, is why don't you provide evidence to the Ethics Committee? And you're saying that Bob Barr has asked for -- anyone can ask for an investigation. If you believe it's wrongdoing, say what it is and take it to the Ethics Committee.

BLITZER: All right, congressmen unfortunately, we are all out of time for this segment. Once again, I want to thank both of you for joining us. We'll continue this conversation. I doubt that the subject is going to go away any time soon. Thanks to Congressman Mcinnis and Congressman Rangel.

MCINNIS: Thank you.

RANGEL: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much.

RANGEL: See you tomorrow, Scott.

MCINNIS: OK.

BLITZER: Good luck when you both get back to Washington here tomorrow.

Meanwhile his young nephew is dead, his brother mauled by a shark. I'll speak live with James Peltier about this weekend's tragedy in Virginia Beach. And accused of slashing death of half a dozen relatives, a Ukrainian immigrant gets a day in court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Welcome back. The experts say you're a lot less likely to be attacked by a shark than be struck by lightning, but lightning struck twice over the Labor Day weekend. Yesterday evening, a ferocious shark attack in shallow waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, left a man dead and a woman critically injured.

That followed Saturday's first fatal attack of the summer in Virginia Beach, Virginia. 10-year-old David Peltier was seized by a shark while surfing. His father pounded the shark to pry the boy loose, but the fifth grader died of massive bleeding.

As the family tries to cope with the tragedy, I'm joined now by David's uncle, James Peltier in Richmond, Virginia.

Mr. Peltier, thank you for joining us. And first of all, our deepest condolences to you and your brother and the entire family. And tell us, first of all, how is the family coping?

JAMES PELTIER, UNCLE OF VICTIM: Good evening, Wolf. The family is coping the best they can. I want to take a second here to thank everybody for the support the Peltier family. People has been very gracious to us. They've been very -- helping us cope with this. The community has shown a whole lot of support to this.

And to get back to your question, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, how is of your brother doing right now? He was mauled by that shark as well?

PELTIER: He's a very strong individual. And he's taking this mauling pretty well. His hand is pretty severed from the shark. He's very strong. He's going to get through this OK and like with the support of so many friends and family we've got here in town and everything. Everybody has been wonderful. And it's just hard, you know. Something like this is hard to deal with. And you've got to take it one day at a time.

BLITZER: What did your brother tell you about the attack?

PELTIER: It's -- from the beginning, he's told me this was not a regular shark attack. I mean, he surfs. He's been surfing for years. And surfers see sharks. He knows what a shark looks like. He knows a shark doesn't, you know, this was a vicious attack. After this happened, he told me that this was not a regular shark. And today, he found out today that it was bull shark from an expert, Dr. Music. And the...

BLITZER: And the attack was obvious.

PELTIER: Yes.

BLITZER: I was going to say, he did manage to pound that shark and pry little David loose. He must be very heroic.

PELTIER: Well, yes, he's -- a father -- I mean, any father, I hope to God would do that. But Richard was faced with a life and death situation that there's no way that a split second actions of what happened, Richard, my brother, could have been mauled with one wrong move in that water, just as well as what happened to little David.

BLITZER: I'm sorry to interrupt, but just very briefly, share with us your thoughts about what David, that little 10-year-old boy was like?

PELTIER: Little David was a young man full of emotion. He was just the happiest, happiest boy. He'd be going down the road in the car with his parents and just say, "I love you, I love you." And every time you see him, he's waiving at people, smiling. I never saw little David with a frown on his face.

The best moment I have to remember little David by was two weeks ago. we had a big get-together at my house. And little David was jumping into the pool off of mine and Richard's shoulders, just having a ball. And that is the way I can remember little David by.

BLITZER: He sounds like a delightful little boy. And we've all seen the pictures. We want to once again express our condolences. We know the funeral is scheduled for Thursday. Please give our best wishes to the entire family. It's a very, very sad tragic moment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Peltier, for joining us.

PELTIER: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And he's accused of killing seven family members. Up next, I'll tell you what happened when Nikolay Soltys appeared in court today. And this aircraft technology could help firefighters. I'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. In other top stories, a Ukrainian immigrant was charged today with murder in the deaths of his family members. Nikolay Soltys was arraigned in Sacramento. He was found Thursday under a desk in his mother's yard. He's accused of killing his wife, son and four other relatives. Because his wife was pregnant, prosecutors say they're also charging him with killing an unborn child.

The U.S. Senate will lose a familiar face. Texas Republican Phil Gramm made an emotional announcement today that he'll retire when his current term is over. Gramm has been in Congress for 23 years, first as a Democrat, then switching the GOP.

Tonight, on the "Leading Edge," fighting fires with space age help. NASA unveiled a robotic aircraft designed to help fight fires today. The Altus II is similar to the unmanned Air Force Predator surveillance plane shown here. The Altus II could circle fires for up to 24 hours, sending back important information.

And two computer giants may become one. Hewlett-Packard proposes a $25 billion stock swap to acquire rival Compaq. Together, the combined company would be number two to IBM in worldwide computer hardware sales. The deal must still be approved by regulators.

Up next, I'll open our mailbag. Many of you reacted to our special report last night on the shark scare. The statistics may suggest that a shark attack is extremely remote, but many of you are still scared. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time now to open our mailbag. Lots of reaction to our special report last night on the shark scare.

James from New Jersey writes this, "I've been going to the beaches along the Eastern seaboard all my life, yet can't remember anyone getting killed by a shark. There is something going on here."

Ron from Virginia Beach writes, "I am outraged by the 'don't worry, be happy' attitude by city officials and shark experts. It seems some people are more interested in keeping tourist dollars coming in than in the safety of the public."

But Ryan from Florida writes this, "As a surfer, I have seen and heard of attacks in the past that are not reported and treated with a few stitches and bandages from the local doctor. The attacks are not increasing, just the media coverage."

Remember, I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at Wolf@cnn.com. And you can read my daily online column and sign up for my e-mail previewing our nightly programs. Just go to my Web site, www.cnn.com/wolf.

That's all the time we have tonight. This programming note, Gary Condit's daughter Cadee Condit will be interviewed exclusively tomorrow night on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Tonight, Larry has Oprah.

Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer on Capitol Hill. "THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN" begins right now.

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