Condit quizzed for fourth time

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 28. Authorities involved in the disappearance of Ms. Chandra Levy, a 24 year old former intern with the Bureau of Prisons, have interviewed the Democratic Congressman, Mr. Gary Condit for the fourth time. That meeting is said to have taken place on Thursday night in the office of Mr. Condit's lawyer.

Mr. Abbe Lowell who is representing Mr. Condit tried to have only the Federal Bureau of Investigation talk to his client. But this was rejected given that the District of Columbia police is the lead investigative agency in the Levy case.

Mr. Condit's fourth interview with investigators was to enable the FBI to come up with a profile of Ms. Levy's state of mind prior to her disappearance on May 1 or thereafter. ``Congressman Mr. Condit answered every question and provided all the information and opinions that he had'', a Statement of the Congressman's spokeswoman said.

One of the things that investigators are trying to determine is if Ms. Levy could have committed suicide because Mr. Condit called off the affair.The local police have been going through almost every inch of this city, especially in the wooded areas and abandoned homes and buildings to see if Ms. Levy could have been victim of foul play as well.

According to reports, the FBI has also interviewed a former staffer of Mr. Condit who had an affair with the Congressman. Ms. Joleen McKay has been quoted as saying that Mr. Condit's Chief of Staff had urged her not to cooperate with the police - a charge that has been denied.

Aside from Ms. McKay there has been at least one other woman who has come forward to acknowledge a past affair with Mr. Condit and in the process saying that she was approached to sign a document which was not truthful. The Washington Times, quoting police sources, has said that five women have told police that they have had an affair with Mr. Condit. Meanwhile at least one law maker is urging a rewriting of the Ethics Rules forbidding relationships between Members of Congress and Interns. Colorado Republican, Mr.Scott McInnis is pushing for an addendum-dubbed as the ``Condit Clause'' - that would include the word Intern to an existing 1983 rule that forbids relations between law makers and pages. That 1983 rule came about after the House censured two of its members, Republican and Democrat, for having a relationship with 17 year old pages.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : U.K. defence chief sceptical of NMD
Next     : Proliferation an issue with China: U.S.