Interview of Gary Condit
by Connie Chung, ABC
August 23, 2001
CONNIE CHUNG Congressman Condit, do you know what happened to Chandra Levy?
REP. GARY CONDIT No, I do not.
CHUNG Did you have anything to do with her disappearance?
CONDIT No, I didn't.
CHUNG Did you say anything or do anything that could have caused her to drop out of sight?
CONDIT You know, Chandra and I never had a cross word.
CHUNG Do you have any idea if there was anyone who wanted to harm her?
CONDIT No.
CHUNG Did you cause anyone to harm her?
CONDIT No.
CHUNG Did you kill Chandra Levy?
CONDIT I did not.
CHUNG Can you describe your relationship? What exactly was your relationship with Chandra Levy?
CONDIT Well, I met Chandra last, um, October. And we became very close. I met her in Washington, DC.
CHUNG Very close, meaning ?
CONDIT We had a close relationship. I liked her very much.
CHUNG May I ask you, was it a sexual relationship?
CONDIT Well, Connie, I've been married for 34 years, and I've not been a a perfect man, and I've made my share of mistakes. But um, out of respect for my family, and out of a specific request from the Levy family, I think it's best that I not get into those details uh, about Chandra Levy.
CHUNG Congressman Condit, do you recall when it was during President Clinton's impeachment hearings, you called for, and I quote, "The public airing of every detail of his affair," saying, quote, "only when we strip away the cloak of secrecy and lay the facts on the table, can we begin to resolve this matter." Shouldn't those rules apply to yourself?
CONDIT Well, I've watched that clip, and I've heard that quote. My view of that is it's taken out of context. The fact of the matter is is that the Starr report was there. And the Republicans were drip, drip, drip, releasing that report, and it was embarrassing
CHUNG (Overlap) But we want to talk about you and not President Clinton.
CONDIT (Overlap) Well, let me finish. Yeah, let me finish because it relates to President Clinton. And I asked that the Starr report, along with other people, be released in its total, so that we could get to the impeachment hearing. And the real issue here, that the media seems to have forgotten in this report many times, is that I voted four times not to impeach President Clinton. That's the real issue.
CHUNG (Overlap) We're not talking about that right now. What we're talking about is whether or not you will come forward to uh, lift this veil of suspicion that seems to have clouded you. Can you tell us did you have a romantic relationship with Chandra Levy?
CONDIT Well, once again, I've been married 34 years. I have not been a perfect man. I have made mistakes in my life. But out of respect for my family, out of a specific request by the Levy family, it is best that I not get into the details of the relationship.
CHUNG Can you tell me this: was Chandra Levy in love with you? Were you in love with her?
CONDIT Well, I don't know that she was in love with me. She never said so. And I was not in love with her.
CHUNG Did she want to marry you and have your child?
CONDIT I only knew Chandra Levy for five months. And in that five months' period, we never had a discussion about a future, about children, about marriage. Any of those items never came up in that five-month period.
CHUNG Did you ever make promises to her?
CONDIT Never.
CHUNG Did she want you to leave your wife?
CONDIT No. I mean, I've been married for 34 years, and I intend to stay married to that woman as long as she'll have me.
CHUNG Um, I understand what you're saying regarding being specific about the relationship. However, don't you realize that part of the reason why you're in the situation that you're in is because that there have been ambiguous or uh, evasive answers to specific questions?
CONDIT Well, there has been no evasive, uh, answers to specific questions by me. I have, I have
CHUNG (Overlap) Right now there is, sir.
CONDIT Well, no, there have not been. I have talked to the people who are responsible for finding Chandra Levy. I've been very specific. I've told them every detail in every interview about my relationship with Chandra Levy, and any of the questions that they had have had to ask.
CHUNG Indeed, uh, when the police questioned you on the first two occasions, you did not reveal the specifics of your relationship with Chandra Levy. Isn't that correct? It wasn't until the third interview with police that you revealed your relationship in its true manner.
CONDIT In the first interview, I revealed every bit of the details about Chandra Levy. I answered every question that law enforcement asked me. In the second interview, I did the same thing. I answered every question that was asked of me, and released every detail to law enforcement.
Now let me just say to you, Connie
CHUNG (Overlap) Truthfully?
CONDIT if I may
CHUNG Truthfully. Did you answer every question truthfully?
CONDIT I answered every question truthfully. That's what you're supposed to do when you're cooperating with the police.
CHUNG But did you reveal that you were having an affair with her?
CONDIT I'm not going to go into the aspects and the details of, of the details of the, of the investigation or the interviews. I'm just saying to you that I answered every question asked of me by the police department on every occasion.
CHUNG But the police department has said that you impeded the investigation.
CONDIT That's pretty confusing. I mean, it's real confusing, because a couple days after it was reported that Chandra Levy had been missing, after her father had called me here in California, two days later I had two detectives in my house in Washington, DC, and we have a 45-minute interview. So I answered every question, gave them every bit of the details in that interview. And you know how Washington, DC works. It has dual jurisdiction. Well, the next interview, there was a new set of personnel in that interview. In the third interview, there was the Department of Justice, the the federal prosecutor. I had to go through that interview. And then in the fourth interview
CHUNG (Overlap) But but (Inaudible)
CONDIT there was the FBI. Now they all asked the same questions over and over again. Maybe
CHUNG (Overlap) Did they specifically ask you if you had a romantic relationship with Chandra Levy?
CONDIT They asked every, every question they wanted to ask, and every detail question they asked. And I answered.
CHUNG And you, did you tell them that you did have a romantic relationship with her?
CONDIT Uh, I told them everything they asked. Answered every question. And I did nothing to slow down the investigation.
CHUNG Now when Mrs. Levy called you and said that her daughter was missing, and she asked you pointblank, she says, at a critical time in the investigation, as to whether or not you had an affair with her daughter, you answered, according to her, matter-of-factly, "No." Were you telling the truth?
CONDIT I never lied to Mrs. Levy. Fact of the matter is that whole week I had several conversations with the Levys. Dr. Levy and Mrs. Levy. We talked about uh, several items in, in the case.
CHUNG So when you said, "No," you were telling the truth?
CONDIT What, what Miss, what Mrs. Levy asked me was a series of questions about a lot of things. And I'm sorry if she misunderstood uh, those conversations. But in those conversations, she made a lot of statements. My job was to console and do what I could do to be helpful. But I never lied to Mrs. Levy at all. I'm sorry if she misunderstood the conversations. She made several statements about a variety of different people. My role was to listen, to be helpful. I knew they were going through pain and anguish. And I was doing everything that I could do to be helpful to them, and not be a problem.
CHUNG Congressman Condit , uh I do not know exactly whether you did have an affair with Chandra Levy or not, because you will not answer that question. Now, when Mrs. Levy asked you if you had had an affair, she says you said no. And you are now saying that you didn't lie to her.
CONDIT I'm saying that, yes.
CHUNG So are you saying that she misunderstood you
CONDIT (Overlap) Yes.
CHUNG when you said no?
CONDIT She well, I'm not sure what com-
CHUNG (Overlap) You should have said yes?
CONDIT I'm not sure what conversation she was talking about. She made several references to several people. My job was to simply to be helpful to her, to try to get through whatever she was getting through. I never lied to Mrs. Levy.
CHUNG Well, I mean, here is a mother who is asking you a critical question about her daughter who is missing. You needed to provide her with the truth and the correct answer.
CONDIT Correct, and I,
CHUNG (Overlap) You didn't do that.
CONDIT (Overlap) I told her the truth.
CHUNG You told her that you were indeed
CONDIT She did not ask me that question. She made several references about people. And I'm not going to get into the names of the people, but I told Mrs. Levy the truth. I'm sorry and I regret if she misunderstood what I had to say.
CHUNG Uh tell me something. When Chandra Levy Chandra Levy would come to your apartment, correct?
CONDIT She'd been there, yes.
CHUNG And when she came to your apartment, did you set rules for her to follow? Such as uh, never to bring her identification with her.
CONDIT I never, ever told anybody not to carry their identification.
CHUNG And it's a critical question, because in fact when she disappeared, she left her identification at home, in her apartment, and only took her keys, apparently.
CONDIT (Overlap) Right.
CHUNG So you're saying there were virtually no rules. There were no rules at all
CONDIT (Overlap) No rules I
CHUNG when she came to visit you.
CONDIT No rules. I would never, ever not asked (sic) someone to carry their identification. I don't know what's the purpose of that.
CHUNG Now her she, she confided in her aunt. And her aunt said that these were the rules. That there were certain rules that she had to abide by. And that indeed, she did have an affair with you. Is are, are you suggesting that either the aunt is terribly mistaken, or that Chandra Levy was fabricating all of this?
CONDIT Well, I can only say that I did not have those conversations with Chandra. And Chandra's not here to defend herself. So I don't know why the aunt would say that.
CHUNG But regarding the relationship in and of itself, are you suggesting that Chandra Levy's aunt did not have the correct information, or that Chandra Levy herself had created this affair as a figment of her imagination?
CONDIT I can only say I never had those conversations with Chandra.
CHUNG (Overlap) Which conversations?
CONDIT The conversations that you're suggesting that there was going to be a future, we were going to get married, and that there were some kind of rules. I never had those conversations. So I, I don't know where the aunt got that.
CHUNG But going back to whether or not you had an affair and the fact that you're not willing to answer that question Chandra Levy's aunt says that indeed, Chandra told her that you had an affair. So I'm asking you, do you, are you trying to uh, suggest that Chandra Levy did not have an affair with you and that it was a fabric (sic) of her imagination?
CONDIT I don't know why she told the aunt what she told the aunt. She told the aunt apparently a lot of things. But the fact of the matter is, and I'm going to go back to this I've been married 34 years, I've made some mistakes in my life, I'm not a perfect man. But out of respect for my family, and out of a request, a specific request from the Levys, I will not go into the details of Chandra Levy at all.
CHUNG (Overlap) What did they exactly ask you to do?
CONDIT Well, they asked a couple nights ago on uh, one of the TV shows that uh, that they did not want to hear about the details of the relationship.
CHUNG I'm not asking you details. I'm simply asking you if it was more than just a friendship?
CONDIT Well, let me say, the details included they didn't know, didn't want to know what, how I felt about her, or how she felt about me. So I'm trying to honor that. I'm try-
CHUNG (Overlap) Forgive me, I
CONDIT (Overlap) and I think the I think the American people understand that people are entitled to some privacy. I'm entitled to try to retain as much privacy as I can. The Levys are entitled to retain as much privacy on behalf of their daughter as they can. I'm going to honor that.
CHUNG But, but you are protecting your privacy, your family's privacy at the expense of a, of a woman who is missing.
CONDIT Well, that's not correct. That's not correct at all. Because I have cooperated with law enforcement. The people who are responsible for finding Chandra. No, I haven't held a news conference, and no, I don't do talk shows. But I have cooperated
CHUNG (Overlap) Forgive me, but we have gone over this area already.
CONDIT (Overlap) Well, I have cooperated
CHUNG The police even said that you impeded the investigation. They do not believe that you have fully cooperated. In fact, the word from the police is that your lack of candor impeded the investigation.
CONDIT Well, I'm, I'm confused if you're making reference to Chief Ramsey's latest comments. Let me tell you, Connie, I have interviewed four times. I interviewed with the Metropolitan police department. I've interviewed a second time with the Metropolitan police department and the commander. I interviewed with the Department of Justice, the federal prosecutor, also with the MPD. I interviewed with the FBI. I allowed them to search my home, where they ripped up my carpet, they took the paint off the walls, they put the drains down the, the pipes.
CHUNG (Overlap) I understand.
CONDIT Now let me finish. I have, I because this is a very important point. I have done everything, to the point where I've let them interview my staff, they've searched the cars
CHUNG (Overlap) Did you at any time ask the staff to lie?
CONDIT I flew my wife I flew my wife to Washington.
CHUNG (Overlap) Did you at any time every ask your staff to lie?
CONDIT (Overlap) Well let me, let me finish this. Let me finish this. Because you're making the accusation, I think it's a very important one. That I have not been cooperative. And I'm puzzled by why the Police Chief would say that. I don't think there's anyone in Washington, DC who's been more cooperative in this investigation than myself. And I'm confused by why the Police Chief would say that. Several weeks before that, the Chief and
CHUNG (Overlap) Because you didn't reveal the true nature of your relationship with Chandra Levy until the third interview.
CONDIT Well, that, that's just not correct. In every interview, I answered every question, gave every detail.
CHUNG So you're suggesting that the police didn't quite ask you the right questions (Inaudible)?
CONDIT (Overlap) No, I'm not suggesting that at all. I'm, I'm suggesting that, that you're, you're going on unnamed sources of the third interview of people who were not even in the room.
CHUNG But you can clear the air
CONDIT (Overlap) And a lot well, I'm clearing the air.
CHUNG You can clear the air now by, by revealing exactly what kind of relationship you had. Because it, isn't it obvious to you that it, when you're dealing with a missing persons case, that any relationship with the missing person is important for police, authorities to know?
CONDIT Well, but you and I work under two different assumptions here, I think. I think it's my job to work for the people who have the responsibility to find Chandra. Not to go out and do news conferences and do talk shows to talk about that.
CHUNG But are you aren't you
CONDIT (Overlap) I worked with the law enforcement people in every step, provided them information in every interview, and gave up a lot of my civil liberties to make sure that they had all the information that they needed.
CHUNG But aren't you here to set the record straight?
CONDIT I think I am setting the record straight.
CHUNG Would you like to tell the truth about the relationship with her?
CONDIT I've told you and responded to uh, the relationship question. And I think the American people, and people watching out there understand. I think they understand that that I'm entitled to some of my privacy. My family's entitled to some of their privacy. And certainly the Levy's (sic) are, as well.
CHUNG Uh, all right, why don't we talk about the, the uh the last time you met with Chandra Levy?
CONDIT Sure.
CHUNG Uh, that was at your apartment, correct me if I'm wrong April 24th. Is that correct?
CONDIT Well, it was the 24th or the 25th.
CHUNG And during that meeting, during that uh uh occasion on that, on April 24th, did you two discuss the future of your relationship?
CONDIT No, we had no discussion. We never had a cross word.
CHUNG Well tell me something. Why would she come to your apartment? She's a single woman, you're a married man. Did she always come to your apartment to visit you?
CONDIT I have people that have come to my apartment all the time. But she came to my apartment in (sic) that day to tell me that she had just lost her internship, uh, with the uh, Department of Justice. And that was the discussion we had that day.
CHUNG After that, what was uh what was the next conversation that you had with her? Did you do you recall when your last conversation with her was?
CONDIT I had a phone conversation with her on April the 29th, which lasted for about a minute. Uh
CHUNG Just a minute?
CONDIT Uh, approximately a minute.
CHUNG She had called you repeatedly on that date. Correct?
CONDIT Well, no, that's not true
CHUNG Her phone records show that.
CONDIT Well, that I mean, she might have left a message. But you know, the news media reported that she made all these frantic calls. And that's just not correct.
CHUNG But her phone records show that she called you repeatedly.
CONDIT Her phone she didn't make frantic phone calls to people. She may have placed a call to me. Uh, she had my voice machine, my voice uh uh phone company voice answering machine. She may have called and left a message. But it doesn't indicate that I have a whole series of messages from her.
CHUNG All right, during that conversation uh, did she, was she upset about anything? Did you say "We need to break up, break up our friendship?" Anything like that?
CONDIT No, no Connie. We never had a cross word. It was simply about her travel plans, that she was talking about going back to California. She was real excited about uh going through her ceremony at USC. So she was real upbeat.
CHUNG She wasn't upset about anything?
CONDIT She wasn't upset about anything. She wasn't upset about losing her job. She, that, it was a little
CHUNG (Overlap) She wasn't?
CONDIT No, she was a little disappointed by it. But she she had other plans and other hopes. And, and she she took it very good.
CHUNG Did you talk to her as a general rule, uh, often? Several times a ?
CONDIT (Overlap) Oh yeah, several times a week.
CHUNG Several times a week?
CONDIT Yeah.
CHUNG Not several times a day, every day?
CONDIT Not several times a day every day.
CHUNG And how often do you think she came to your your apartment to visit you?
CONDIT Well, I provided all those details to uh, the appropriate people, the law enforcement people. They have that. And uh, it would be uh best not to get
CHUNG (Overlap) (Inaudible) forgive me, but why are you reluctant to answer that question?
CONDIT Because that's that's provided to law enforcement and the people who are responsible for fi-, for finding Chandra Levy.
CHUNG But I mean, if there was nothing wrong with it, why can't you say how many times she came to visit you?
CONDIT Because if I say a time to you, I may be well, I don't know the amount of time off the top of my head, but
CHUNG (Overlap) Could you give me a general idea?
CONDIT But I, but we, but we have shared all that with law enforcement. And I think it's best that we not go into that. And out of respect for my family, and out of request from the Levy family, I just don't can't go there.
CHUNG Well, after you had that conversation with her, you said it lasted only a minute, when did you expect to talk to her again?
CONDIT Well, she gave me the impression that she was going to take a train to California. So I assumed in the next few days she was going to take a train to California. So I might talk to her after she got to California, I might talk to her when she got back from California. It wasn't clear to me whether or not she was actually going to move to California, come back and try to find another job. Um, but Chandra was interested in working at the FBI. She was interested in working at the CIA, or NI-, NSA. Something like that. She was very interested in those areas. And so the reason the, the Federal Prison Bureau uh, job was important to her, because she thought that was the stepping stone in getting into the FBI.
CHUNG Uh on that same day, Chandra left a message for her aunt, saying she had some important news. Do you know what that important news was?
CONDIT I do not.
CHUNG There have been there has been talk about uh, a possibility that Chandra Levy was pregnant. Do you know if she was pregnant?
CONDIT I have no reason to think that.
CHUNG Did she tell you she was pregnant? Or anything of that sort?
CONDIT No, she did not.
CHUNG Uh, did you speak with her again after April 29th?
CONDIT Uh, no. April 29th was the last conversation.
CHUNG So you're saying that you didn't expect to hear from her for about a week?
CONDIT Well, actually, I tried to call her, because I
CHUNG When did you try and call her?
CONDIT I tried to call her probably the 30th or the 31st, or some time in that week.
CHUNG Uh, there, there is no 31st. Uh it's either the 30th or May first.
CONDIT (Overlap) I mean, the 30th or May first. I ddi try to well, maybe it was later in the week, because I had not heard from her.
CHUNG Uh-huh. And you were expecting to hear? You, did you, you just said that you weren't expecting to hear from her for a week?
CONDIT (Overlap) Well, I thought I might I, I thought I might hear her about her travel plans. She might leave a message and say she was taking a train or she wasn't taking a train. I never heard that.
CHUNG So did you call her, you're saying, on the 29th?
CONDIT (Overlap) Yes, I placed a call
CHUNG Or the 30th.
CONDIT I, I placed a call on uh sometime during the next few days, to try to find out what her travel plans were going to be.
CHUNG And you called her apartment?
CONDIT Yes, I left a yes, left a message.
CHUNG And uh did she ever call you back?
CONDIT No.
CHUNG Were you concerned?
CONDIT I was concerned that she had not called me back. But uh but also just assumed that she had taken a train. And she told me the train was going to take four days.
CHUNG You can't remember exactly when you called?
CONDIT On the ?
CHUNG Yes, when you called again. When you called, was it the 30th? May first? Second, 3rd, 4th?
CONDIT (Overlap) Well, it it could've been it could've been the first. It could've been the second. Somewhere in that time frame.
CHUNG Um, your wife made a rare visit to Washington the week that Chandra Levy disappeared. Did she have any conversations with Chandra Levy?
CONDIT No, my wife did not know Chandra Levy.
CHUNG Did your wife know what kind of relationship or did any member of your family know what kind of relationship you had with Chandra Levy?
CONDIT No member of my family knew Chandra Levy.
CHUNG Uh, did you ever talk to any member of your family about her?
CONDIT No.
CHUNG Well, when did your family become aware of Chandra Levy's existence? That perhaps there was uh, talk that you had uh, some kind of personal relationship with her?
CONDIT Well, uh the way we were notified that Chandra was missing was on Sunday, May the sixth, Dr. Levy called my house. He talked to my wife. I wasn't there. Uh, told us uh, told Caroline that uh he was concerned, because he had not heard from Chandra for several days. And then when I came in, uh, I mean, it was just it was, I was horrified to hear that she was was missing.
CHUNG Was that the first time you had heard that she was missing?
CONDIT (Overlap) That was the first time I had heard that. And then uh you know, you're horrified, but at the same time, you're a parent, and you think there might be another side to this that's just a mistake. So I called Dr. Levy at home, and uh, talked with him, and and uh, obviously the anxiety and the hurt in his voice prompted me to commit to him that I would call the law enforcement people immediately. Because he had thought that the Metropolitan police department had not taken it seriously. Maybe she'd just gone on extended holiday or something.
CHUNG I see.
CONDIT So right after that right after that, I was in Washington DC on Monday. I contacted law enforcement. I asked the FBI to be involved. I helped set up the re-, rewan-, reward fund. And so we were consistently quickly involved. Within two days I had detectives in my house, talking to me about (Inaudible)
CHUNG (Overlap) Yes. I remember your telling me that. I'm going to turn to another area. A, a flight attendant named Ann Marie Smith said that she had a year-long relationship with you. And that you asked her uh, to lie about it. True?
CONDIT I didn't ask anyone to lie about anything. I did not ask Ann Marie not to cooperate with law enforcement. That's an absolute
CHUNG (Overlap) (Inaudible) sorry.
CONDIT Absolute lie.
CHUNG This is a statement that uh, your lawyers gave to her, and it says, "I do not and have not had a romantic relationship with Congressman Condit."
CONDIT Well, that's a lawyer-to-lawyer statement. And
CHUNG And you didn't authorize (Inaudible)?
CONDIT (Overlap) I had nothing I didn't have any-, I the lawyers
CHUNG Your, your lawyers just hauled off and had and sent this to her without your
CONDIT (Overlap) That is a (inaudible) statement that a lawyer sent to another lawyer. I did not have anything to do with that.
CHUNG But why would he write up the draft of something without your authorization? I mean why would you want her to say that she didn't have a relationship with you?
CONDIT Because she didn't.
CHUNG Why, why would she make it up?
CONDIT You know, Connie, I'm, uh I'm puzzled by uh, by people who take advantage of tragedy. A missing person that they don't even know.
CHUNG You're saying that she completely fabricated this?
CONDIT She take she's taken advantage of this tragedy. She didn't know Chandra Levy. So she gets to have her moment of publicity, of financial gain. And I'm puzzled by that.
CHUNG Uh hours before police, DC police searched your apartment, you were seen throwing away a watch box. Um, in a dumpster. Why, why did you do that?
CONDIT Well, the watch box had nothing to do with Chandra Levy and the police. Know that. The fact of the matter
CHUNG (Overlap) But were you trying to cover up a relationship with yet another woman?
CONDIT Let me finish this. Uh, the watch box had nothing to do with Chandra Levy. The watch box uh I, I I did not take anything out of the apartment before or after the search. The watch box had nothing to do with Chandra Levy at all. It was trash that I threw away.
CHUNG But why did you throw it away hours before the search?
CONDIT Well, the watch box, uh, I didn't take anything out of the my apartment. The search within my apartment. Nothing came out of my apartment before the search or after the search.
CHUNG Are you saying the watch box was somewhere else?
CONDIT Yes.
CHUNG Other than your apartment?
CONDIT Yes.
CHUNG So where was it?
CONDIT It would be in my office.
CHUNG And so why did you throw it away?
CONDIT Well, because I was cleaning out my office to be very frankly (sic) with you.
CHUNG But why throw it in a dumpster uh, somewhere, instead of just throwing it in the trash can in your office?
CONDIT Well, the fact of the matter is the watch box had nothing to do with Chandra Levy. And the police department know (sic) this.
CHUNG Don't you think it's rather suspicious behavior though to throw a watch box in a dumpster?
CONDIT Well, first of all, I did not throw it in a dumpster. I threw it in a trash can on a street, understanding that the tabloids are going through every bit of my trash at my office, going through things in my office, trying to get things out of my office. It was trash. I threw it away.
CHUNG But I mean, if, if there was nothing to it so what if, if uh, the tabloids would find it? If there was nothing who gave it to you?
CONDIT Well, there was nothing to it.
CHUNG Who gave it to you?
CONDIT (Overlap) It was a gift.
CHUNG From?
CONDIT It was a gift.
CHUNG A woman in the office who worked in your office?
CONDIT Years ago.
CHUNG And did you have a relationship with her?
CONDIT I did not.
CHUNG Um, tell me, have you made any attempts to silence anyone about any relationship you've had with a woman?
CONDIT I have not asked anyone to be silent about anything. Matter of fact, I've anyone who says that we tried to keep people from cooperating is just lying.
CHUNG Um, why won't you take a polygraph test administered by the police? And why won't you cooperate with Chandra Levy's parents (sic) investigators?
CONDIT Well, let me say that, that uh you know, this is sort of new to me. But when the polygraph issue came up
CHUNG What is sort of new to you?
CONDIT This polygraph issue, in that uh I'm not familiar with the polygraph people. But we went out to find the best.
CHUNG I understand.
CONDIT (Overlap) The best in the country.
CHUNG (Overlap) But why won't you take one from the police?
CONDIT (Overlap) We found the best in the country that he trains the FBI agents who give the polygraph tests. And so we took the test. We passed the test. And his credibility is unchallenged by people in the industry. And I'm, I'm confused by the police chief's comment immediately after we take the polygraph test. He did not read the polygraph test. Uh, I think you'll find that people in the FBI now have seen the polygraph test, they can read the polygraph test, and it makes total sense to them. So we basically thought we were being helpful, just found the best guy we could find. And that's what we did. And I don't know if
CHUNG (Overlap) Why, why won't you cooperate with uh, the Levy family investigators? And why won't you take if you, if you are guilty of no criminal wrongdoing, if you're not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, why don't you take a polygraph test given by the police, and cooperate with Chandra Levy's
CONDIT (Overlap) But we've taken a polygraph test. And it, and it proves that I'm innocent. And it's by, it's by a a guy who's one of the highest-regarded gentlemen in that field in the country.
CHUNG (Overlap) I understand. All right.
CONDIT And let me on the investigate-, the investigators with the Levys, um, we have offered information that we have on all the issues to the investigators. We have sent letters to them. They have not responded. Now I'm a little bit concerned about the sincerity of their requests, the investigators' requests, if they're not willing to take some of the information that we have, go through it and see what it is they need. Once they go through it, if there's something that we can be helpful with, we we're open to do that. But they need to be uh they, they need to at least show that they're really interested in finding out what we've already done, what's been said, what the investigation that we've been through says. And once they do that I, we, we're open to talk to them.
CHUNG All right.
CONDIT But, but we just don't want it to be a TV show, or, or sort of sort of publicity stunt.
CHUNG We have just a few minutes left. Uh, what has all of this done to you and your family?
CONDIT Well it's been tough. I mean, it's been tough on my family. Uh, we, we've gone through tough times. I mean, as I mentioned, uh they dragged my wife across the country for an interview, because they refused to do it here, and they were going to subpoena her. They tried to uh, go through her medical records, uh, they reported she didn't have thumbs, and they chased my children around. The tabloids have. But the fact of the matter is, is this is not about the Condits. This is about the Levys. And that's minor minor pain, and that's minor uh, interference with our life, compared to what Dr. and Mrs. Levy are going through. Sympathy and our hearts go to Dr. and Mrs. Levy. Not the stuff that we've gone through.
CHUNG Uh do you I, I at the end of this interview, we're, we're we only have a few minutes left. Uh do you fear that uh, the public out there um, may be very disappointed that you didn't come forward and reveal details today, as we sit here tonight?
CONDIT Well, I think I have revealed details. The details that I've been fully cooperative uh, with law enforcement. I've answered every question on every accession. I've given up my civil liberties
CHUNG (Overlap) You don't think you're stonewalling?
CONDIT No, I don't think I'm stonewalling at all. I think that people expect that you can maintain some of your privacy. I think the Levys expect to maintain some of their daughter's privacy. And I'm trying to honor that. I'm trying to do that with dignity. I, I'm trying to retain some privacy for my family and for their family. And I think your jurors out there will understand that.
CHUNG I'm, I, I would think that many people would want you to maintain your privacy. However, you have constituents out there, something like 600- 680,000. Do they deserve the truth?
CONDIT They deserve the truth. And the truth is that I have done everything asked of me by the people who are responsible to find Chandra Levy. I have done everything. I've given you the list. I mean, I have not been part of the media circus if, if that's your point. But it's not the news media's responsibility to find Chandra Levy. It's law enforcement. And I made a decision that I would work with law enforcement to do just that.
CHUNG What do you think happened to Chandra Levy?
CONDIT I don't know.
CHUNG You have virtually no idea?
CONDIT No idea.
CHUNG Can you survive, can your career, your marriage, survive this?
CONDIT Well, my, my family's intact. It's going to take more than the news media with, with innuendos, half-truths, unnamed sources, to, to split my family up.
CHUNG But isn't much of what has happened partly your doing?
CONDIT In what respect, Connie?
CHUNG You said to yourself, to your constituents, in a letter, that you've made mistakes, and you said that to me earlier.
CONDIT Right.
CHUNG What mistakes are you talking about?
CONDIT Well, I haven't been a perfect man. And I think people, your viewers will understand that. I have not been a perfect man. I've made mistakes in my life. I acknowledge that.
CHUNG But what mistakes are you talking about? Are you talking about moral mistakes?
CONDIT Well, there's a variety of mistakes. I mean, I, I've made uh, all kinds of mistakes in my life, but I'm not going to go into details on this program about the mistakes that I've made in my life.
CHUNG Do you, do you
CONDIT (Overlap) I acknowledge them. And I'm sorry for them.
CHUNG Do you think you're a moral man?
CONDIT I think I am a moral man. Yes.
CHUNG OK. Um, I think we are out of time, Gary. Thank you so much, Congressman.
CONDIT Thank you.
CHUNG Thank you, I appreciate it.
CONDIT Thank you.
