by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 13, 2001
All Rights Reserved.

ransparent denials, making false and misleading statements and refusing to face the press, it’s time for 7-term Congressman Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres) to step down. Teetering like a giant Sequoia, the press inched closer to shouting “timber,” as Condit slogs his way through a career-ending public relations nightmare. Faced with a beehive of unanswered questions, Condit chose silence over straight talk about his relationship with missing 24-year-old intern Chandra Levy, who disappeared May 1. Now incognito, Condit shuns the media, passing the unenviable task to his handlers, attorney Abbe D. Lowell and his PR mouthpiece Marina Ein. Hurting his cause, they antagonized the press, drawing far more suspicion and ire to the embattled congressman. Blowing smoke, “Mr. Condit has totally cooperated with the police with all aspects of the investigation,” said Ein, despite his reluctance to cop to an affair after three interviews and 11 weeks of persistent denials. Twelve weeks after Chandra vanished, he choreographed a clever publicity stunt—opening up his condo, submitting to DNA testing and undergoing a canned lie detector test.

       Fighting narcolepsy and political pressure, the D.C. police finally woke up to the fact that Chandra Levy is no simple “missing person.” Hello! You’ve got a key witness/suspect with whom she was intimately involved enlisting a high-profile criminal defense attorney and publicity expert to stave off media inquiries. After Condit’s last interview July 6 with the D.C. police where he admitted an affair, Executive Assistant Police Chief Terrance Gainer said Condit “was not a suspect before the meeting, he was not a suspect during the meeting, and he is not a suspect after the meeting.” Who’s he kidding? In any murder or “missing person” case you always investigate the victim’s lover as the prime suspect. Clearly the D.C. police are playing cat-and-mouse trying to coax as much information as possible. But with the National Enquirer revealing Levy’s pregnancy, it’s time to stop playing games and name Condit as an official suspect. Collecting evidence without a search warrant gives his legal team a trick for getting him off the hook, namely, having all evidence thrown out of court.

       Dragging his feet, Condit impeded an urgent investigation requiring open disclosures and immediate responses. Surely Condit’s evasion couldn’t only relate to denying a mundane sexual affair. It makes no sense that he would jeopardize his career over just sex. Buttoning his lips since the story broke on May 10, Condit speaks only through his attorney and PR agent. Blaming his silence on a bloodthirsty press, his rationale for stonewalling simply doesn’t add up. Without loudly protesting his innocence, it’s clear that he’s more concerned about self-incrimination than helping the police. No, it’s Condit, through his silence and publicity stunts, that “tabloidized” the story. Refusing to get out the truth, he found every excuse to avoid answering simple questions. Why, for instance, did he tell the Levys that his last contact with Chandra was April 25, yet told the police it was April 29 when he broke off the relationship? Condit reluctantly admitted to an affair only after Levy’s 41-year-old aunt and confidant Linda Zamsky went public with her bombshell on July 6.

       Zamsky also revealed something quite startling: Chandra’s last message April 29 on her answering machine indicated that “she had something big, something important to tell her, and to please call back.” Now the National Enquirer reports that credible sources within the Justice Department confirm that Chandra Levy was pregnant with Condit’s baby. So, you’ve got her lover, Condit, denying a romantic relationship until July 6 and refusing to face the press. Threatening to ruin his congressional career, the D.C. police have plenty of “motive” to name Condit as a suspect, especially after Levy’s frantic documented attempts to contact him after he broke off their relationship around April 30. If the Enquirer’s story proves true, then it’s only reasonable to assume that Chandra informed Condit of her pregnancy prompting him to break off the relationship. With all these coincidences, (a) Condit’s denials and stonewalling, (b) Zamsky’s disclosure about Chandra’s last message, (c) the Enquirer’s corroboration about Chandra’s pregnancy and (d) Anna Marie Smith’s testimony about the false affidavit, it’s time for the D.C. police to name Condit an official suspect and invoke a grand jury investigation.

       Taking inventory, it’s clear that Condit knew he was in deep trouble and he refused to speak directly with the press. According to flight attendant Anna Marie Smith, Condit informed her he was in hot water and asked her to not speak with authorities. Shortly after, she was contacted by an investigator from the San Francisco law offices of Joseph W. Cotchett and asked to sign an affadavit saying, “I do not and have not had a relationship with Congressman Condit other that being acquainted with him.” Smith refused to sign, raising concerns that Condit suborned perjury, tampered with a key witness, and obstructed justice. Whether Condit’s ever linked to Chandra’s disappearance, his deceit and attempt to thwart a police investigation warrants his immediate resignation—if not impeachment. Hanging on by his fingernails, he prays he can outlast the press. But unlike Condit, the press has the duty to get out the truth, regardless of how it affects his career plans. Putting it all together, it’s beyond coincidence that Condit refused to face the media. As he told Anna Marie Smith, he knew from the get-go that he was in deep trouble and would have to lay low.

       Waking up out of their stupor, the D.C. police must now officially name Congressman Gary A. Condit as suspect, despite his apparent compliance with requests for searches and seizure, DNA samples and lie detector tests. Passing his own lie detector test is no proof of anything other than another transparent publicity stunt. Whether Condit had anything to do with Chandra’s disappearance is anyone’s guess—but a recent CBS/Gallop poll suggests that 60% of respondents believe that he did. At the very least, his egregious attempts to thwart police efforts for 12 weeks proves he’s more interested in saving his own hide than finding Chandra Levy. While the police still entertain different theories, it’s clear Chandra Levy is not vacationing at Club Med or abducted by aliens. Since the police shot down the suicide hypothesis or even more improbable fugue state, all fingers point toward foul play. Leaving her apartment with her bags packed and only her keys, it’s possible she was coaxed out and whisked away to an unknown fate. Since Condit denied knowing anything but was actually her lover—and possibly the father of her unborn child—he must submit to unrestricted interrogation. If he’s got nothing to hide, then why all the fancy footwork?

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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