Chandra Levy (was: "Pure Speculation, but...")

[poseidon]

I've been following somewhat the situation going on with Congressman Gary Condit D-Calif. and missing intern Chandra Levy.

I realize that this is nothing more than speculation, and that when dealing with government officials, the police have to treat them with kid gloves.

But the facts as I see them would seem to be leaning toward Condit or his wife having some involvement in her disappearance.

Condit claims that Levy was "a great person and a good friend." I find that statement to seem to be a gross understatment on its face for a few reasons.

1. Condit admits to having extramarital affairs.

2. Levy told her parents that she and Condit were "involved."

3. Condit denies having a relationship with Levy.

I guess my biggest question over the "friendship" is, "What would a 53-year old male Congressman have in common with a 24-year old female college student?"

The other way that I'm looking at this is that I spent six weeks in 1989 as a congressional intern. There were six of us interning with the congressman. One of the things that our congressman was careful about was to never have a one-on-one meeting with an intern and having the door closed while the meeting was going on. The other was to not develop personal friendships outside of the office with any of the interns. He was concerned about how things would look to the public, especially since this was shortly after a scandal with some other Congressional and Senatorial interns.

And while I stayed at American University in their dorms, many of the other Congressional and Senatorial interns were living there, too (rent was very cheap and the internships were, for the most part, unpaid). Most of the other interns stated similar circumstances -- no matter if the MoC or Senator were male or female.

You'd think that, given the recent crap with Lewinsky, that Washington would be a little more careful with their interns and the illusion of wrongdoing.

So, it would seem likely to me that Condit was having an affair with Levy.

I can see one of four scenarios happening to lead to the disappearance of Levy.

1. Levy threatened to go public with the affair and Condit had her kidnapped or killed.

2. Levy and Condit planned on continuing the affair and he sent her to some hole-in-the-wall or another country to wait. This seems unlikely though, with all the attention on her surely someone would spot her.

3. Levy has staged her disappearance because she and Condit broke up, and she is going to take him down. Again, this seems highly unlikely, given the fact that she has fairly good knowledge of the criminal justice system and she'd have to realize that she'd spend many, many years in jail for this.

4. Condit's wife found out about the affair and arranged for Levy's death or kidnapping.

So, am I way off base? What do you all think?

[drmomentum[$]]

You missed the UFO theory. There must be one of those.

What do I think? I think that every time I turn on FOX news in the morning (by mistake, mind you) they're talking about htis story. Granted, the disappearance of this girl is an intriguing mystery and there is the whiff of scandal and sex that the American people crave, but do I really care enough to hear about this story every day for the past however-many-weeks?

If he had a romantic relationship with that intern, I think his constituents should really consider replacing him in the next election.

If he has done something illegal now, he should be put on trial, once there is enough evidence.

But for now it is simply a sex-and-death speculation peep show. I'm not saying to stop, if that's what gets your juices going. The world takes all types. I suppose I can simply try (harder) not to turn my TV to the FOX news channel until they get something conclusive.

-JP

[poseidon]

JP,

CNN and PMSNBC are also showing this almost exclusively. I think it's been slow news for a few days.

Jeff

[drmomentum[$]]

Originally posted by poseidon
JP,

CNN and PMSNBC are also showing this almost exclusively. I think it's been slow news for a few days.

Jeff

Ugh. I suppose it was inevitable that they would follow FOX's lead. I haven't seen CNN in a coupl eof days, so I have been spared the brunt of it. Thanks for the warning.

-JP

[KristenNC]

I saw the special on Good Morning America this morning (ABC.)

I thought Condin declined to TALK ABOUT their relationship - and characterized her as a "good friend." Which is not the same thing as saying "I did not have sex with that woman, Chandra Levy." Or maybe it is.

If I were the type to engage in baseless speculation (which I am, sometimes) I'd vote for #4 - the mysterious wife with the chronic illness who just happens to make one of her MIGHTY infrequent trips to DC the week Chandra disappeared.

Either way - I haven't really followed that part of the story. I feel for the woman's parents more than I can say and I just hope she shows up at home, safe.

Kristen

[poseidon]

Originally posted by KristenNC
I saw the special on Good Morning America this morning (ABC.)

I thought Condin declined to TALK ABOUT their relationship - and characterized her as a "good friend." Which is not the same thing as saying "I did not have sex with that woman, Chandra Levy." Or maybe it is.

If I were the type to engage in baseless speculation (which I am, sometimes) I'd vote for #4 - the mysterious wife with the chronic illness who just happens to make one of her MIGHTY infrequent trips to DC the week Chandra disappeared.

Either way - I haven't really followed that part of the story. I feel for the woman's parents more than I can say and I just hope she shows up at home, safe.

Kristen

Kristen,

He did say he wasn't going to talk about it, which is much different than saying, "I did not have sex with that woman, Charlene Levy. I didn't ask a single person to lie. Not once. Never." But, "she was a great person and a good friend" is a direct quote from him (lifted from my morning newspaper as a matter-of-fact).

I'm also curious about the "was" versus "is" terminology. Sure, it's nitpicking semantics, but that's what some of us do best here in the Soapbox.

I'm actually leaning toward #4 myself, particularly in light of the fact that his wife was being questioned by the cops for the last couple of days.

But, something stinks in Denmark.

And yes, I hope she turns up safe. But the realist in me says she's dead and buried somewhere, which is why her body hasn't been found.

[afropuff]

Originally posted by poseidon
I can see one of four scenarios happening to lead to the disappearance of Levy.

1. Levy threatened to go public with the affair and Condit had her kidnapped or killed.

2. Levy and Condit planned on continuing the affair and he sent her to some hole-in-the-wall or another country to wait. This seems unlikely though, with all the attention on her surely someone would spot her.

3. Levy has staged her disappearance because she and Condit broke up, and she is going to take him down. Again, this seems highly unlikely, given the fact that she has fairly good knowledge of the criminal justice system and she'd have to realize that she'd spend many, many years in jail for this.

4. Condit's wife found out about the affair and arranged for Levy's death or kidnapping.

So, am I way off base? What do you all think?

As to theory #1:

Given that Levy did NOT talk about the affair (the parents found Condit's pager # from checking Levy's phone records), I find that highly unlikely.

Theory #2:

Nah.

Theory #3:

Again, Poseidon said enough about that.

Theory #4:

Whew, I don't even know how to condense my feelings about this.

Basically, the culture of Washington is such that -- IMHO -- I don't believe that wives of such powerful men *expect* monogamy, let alone kill mistresses when such situations arise. It's not like a woman marrying such a man doesn't know what she's getting into . . . look at Newt Gingrich and his revolving door of marriage. Each wife shared him with a mistress, mistress becomes wife, leaving the "mistress" job open . . . but not for long! That's par for the course in Washington. Hate to say it, but there it is.

Marrying a Congressman requires knowledge that: 1) powerful men are attractive to most women, 2) the charisma that put hubby in office will almost certainly put him in another woman's bed, and 3) as long as the wife looks the other way, hopefully divorce (read: separation from money and power) won't rear its head.

Condit and his wife have been married a long time, and I'll bet the ranch that she knows the above 3 Rules of Washingtonian Wives. There is NO WAY she is going to risk a murder investigation; the power is too addictive. She has probably gotten used to her lifestyle, and risking it all to whack a 24 yo who's not thinking clearly is not going to be in her best interest.

With that having been said, I think young Levy killed *herself*. She hadn't been dating him long. Perhaps she found out that she was only one of many "mistresses"? Perhaps the shame of it all was too much?

Gotta love those conspiracy theories!

[afropuff]

BTW, my use of Newt Gingrich was not to be representative of any one political party. There's enough illicit activity going on with both the Dems and the GOP in DC.

Actually, Newt was spectacular in the fact that he actually married his mistresses. Most men in such positions NEVER marry the mistress. The wife is the public figure, the mistress . . . well, won't go there.

[mtbat]

Originally posted by poseidon


I guess my biggest question over the "friendship" is, "What would a 53-year old male Congressman have in common with a 24-year old female college student?"

I wonder if Monica has anything to say about this?

I think there is a real possiblilty that the congressman had something to do with Levy's dissaperance-I don't think she is alive-I'd like to hope that she is, but I really doubt it.

no matter What happened-this is going to follow the people involved for the rest of their lives-hopefully someday the truth will come out.

[poseidon]

With that having been said, I think young Levy killed *herself*. She hadn't been dating him long. Perhaps she found out that she was only one of many "mistresses"? Perhaps the shame of it all was too much?

This is actually highly doubtful because of two rather consistent things with suicides...

1. It is extremely difficult, barring tossing yourself into a meat grinder, to dispose of your body as you're killing yourself.

2. Most suicide victims want to be found.

Of course, I have no proof of either of the two above statements, but I'd lay money on the idea that they're true.

Jeff

[erik_kosberg]

Condit is perhaps not the brightest bulb on the tree. He’s still looking for interns? Given the current situation, wouldn’t it be wise to take that page down for a while?

edited for a typo

[poseidon]

Originally posted by erik_kosberg
Condit is perhaps not the brightest bulb on the tree. He’s still be looking for interns? Given the current situation, wouldn’t it be wise to take that page down for a while?

Pages are even worse. They're typically in high school, not even college.

Jeff
who knows you meant web page, not Congressional Page, but couldn't pass up the pun.

[afropuff]

Thought you might like to see this:

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/07/06/mis...ern/index.html

The plot thickens . . .

[Redlass]

He's also got a link to the "Missing and Exploited Children" page. That seems rather skating toward the ironic.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. I wouldn't be shocked if it turned out he'd murdered his intern because of an affair (though I'd certainly be saddened--as I would with anyone).

I would also point out, though, that thousands of young women go missing every year. We have had several cases locally of women who have disappeared without a trace. Years of high-profile search went into them and they still haven't been found and there isn't a single suspect.

D.C. is not exactly a safe place to live either. It would be a shame for Condit if he is being blamed for the act of a psycho. Really, it would be a shame for the psycho's future victims as well.

Then again, I think there is something to be said for the other scenarios offered as well.

Sometimes the world looks awfully frightening.

[afropuff]

Poseidon,

You're right about your points. True, true.

However, girlfriend obviously had high hopes for her relationship with Condit. She thought she was going to start a family with him??? The aunt did not do her niece a service by making this public; she made her niece sound like a complete idiot.

Whether she was killed or commited suicide, there are two almost fool-proof places to put a body: in a vast body of water (river, lake, ocean) or in a mountainous area. West Virginia isn't that far away. Neither is the Atlantic. Why haven't the cops gone there?

[poseidon]

Originally posted by afropuff
Poseidon,

You're right about your points. True, true.

However, girlfriend obviously had high hopes for her relationship with Condit. She thought she was going to start a family with him??? The aunt did not do her niece a service by making this public; she made her niece sound like a complete idiot.

Whether she was killed or commited suicide, there are two almost fool-proof places to put a body: in a vast body of water (river, lake, ocean) or in a mountainous area. West Virginia isn't that far away. Neither is the Atlantic. Why haven't the cops gone there?

Actually that sounds typical of a young woman in love with an older man. In fact, it sounds a lot like Miss Lewinsky (who isn't a bright bulb but still this sounds vastly familiar. She was convinced Clinton would leave Hillary for her).

And I'd disagree with you on the large body of water. There's quite a bit of traffic on the ocean in that part of the country and it takes great effort to make a body stay "sunk." Even the mafia doesn't do cement shoes anymore, because while the body stays sunk for day or so, it also pops up when the body starts decomposing and there's enough gas and air to lift even the heavy weights of cement shoes. So, it would take a vast amount of weight.

She'd also wash up on shore and would attract a lot of animals, which would in turn attract a lot of people, who, even if the body had been badly chewed up and picked at, would still leave a skeleton and fresh flesh chunks still attached to the skeleton.

And you'd hear about it.

Jeff

[afropuff]

Remember the case of the Northeastern (was it MA?) DA who apparently put his murdered mistress in a weighted cooler and sent her down to Davy Jone's Locker? The only reason he was caught was because a couple of his accomplices spoke up. So, apparently, the deed can be done.

True, there is a lot of activity in that area. However, there are also a lot of unsolved homocides in that area. One can only wonder . . .

[afropuff]

As to your statement about her apparent infatuation, I could understand if she were under 20. But, at 24, she should have had enough experience to know right from wrong. I also have a sense that her infatuation with Condit had little to do with age and everything to do with his power and stature in the Washington scene.

One can't help but note that she was from Condit's district, so she undoubtedly knew he was married. No offense, but as a woman, if you haven't figured out NOT to mess with other women's men, you are inviting a whole lot of needless trouble into your life. If she hadn't learned that by now, well, I don't even know how to comment on that.

Also, Levy's apparent naivete just doesn't make sense. Heck, every female in that area that I know has advanced degrees and advanced levels of cynicism about the opposite sex by Levy's age. Levy was smart, didn't she smell his "type" coming from a million miles away?

[mtbat]

Originally posted by poseidon


This is actually highly doubtful because of two rather consistent things with suicides...

1. It is extremely difficult, barring tossing yourself into a meat grinder, to dispose of your body as you're killing yourself.

2. Most suicide victims want to be found.

Of course, I have no proof of either of the two above statements, but I'd lay money on the idea that they're true.

Jeff

about 15 years ago a friend of ours died-her daughter was extreamly distraught, drove her car to the edge of the national forrest, left a suicide note and walked into the forrest-she hasn't been found yet.

but she did leave a note-and something MOST suicides do is leave a note-they WANT people to know they have died.

[poseidon]

Originally posted by afropuff
As to your statement about her apparent infatuation, I could understand if she were under 20. But, at 24, she should have had enough experience to know right from wrong. I also have a sense that her infatuation with Condit had little to do with age and everything to do with his power and stature in the Washington scene.

One can't help but note that she was from Condit's district, so she undoubtedly knew he was married. No offense, but as a woman, if you haven't figured out NOT to mess with other women's men, you are inviting a whole lot of needless trouble into your life. If she hadn't learned that by now, well, I don't even know how to comment on that.

Also, Levy's apparent naivete just doesn't make sense. Heck, every female in that area that I know has advanced degrees and advanced levels of cynicism about the opposite sex by Levy's age. Levy was smart, didn't she smell his "type" coming from a million miles away?

Wow I'd really have to disagree with you on this one... and the whole thing.

There isn't a whole lot of difference in maturity between the ages of 21 and 24. And, again, looking back at Monica, wasn't she 24 when this happened?

And when you're in love you can do some pretty stupid things (this I know first hand). One of the things that she and others in that situation may have convinced themselves of is that the guy would leave his wife for her. On top of that, if he is telling her that (to keep her strung along), if she wants to believe it she may very well.

The heart can seriously impede the brain's capacity for thinking rationally.

Jeff

[Workingmomof2]

Originally posted by poseidon
I can see one of four scenarios happening to lead to the disappearance of Levy.

1. Levy threatened to go public with the affair and Condit had her kidnapped or killed.

2. Levy and Condit planned on continuing the affair and he sent her to some hole-in-the-wall or another country to wait. This seems unlikely though, with all the attention on her surely someone would spot her.

3. Levy has staged her disappearance because she and Condit broke up, and she is going to take him down. Again, this seems highly unlikely, given the fact that she has fairly good knowledge of the criminal justice system and she'd have to realize that she'd spend many, many years in jail for this.

4. Condit's wife found out about the affair and arranged for Levy's death or kidnapping.

So, am I way off base? What do you all think?

Jeff I have to give you points for creativity - and sadly, in this world the possibility that a respected public figure was having an extra-marital affair with a young and attractive intern is a very real possibililty.

As to the scenarios, though, I'd say that while a few of them are possible, I think there are dozens more that are probably as likely if not far more likely. JP's UFO theory being among them ...

How about these options:
• Levy left and took a trip, and either doesn't know or doesn't care about the rumors
• Levy and Condit had an argument and she took off to cool down for a while
•Levy met with an unfortunate end, with absolutely no relationship to Condit or the political situation (wrong place, wrong time, etc.)
• Levy is pregnant and went to stay with a friend until the baby is born (unlikely but possible with the "big news" story that her aunt shared
• Levy suffered a head injury and is either unconscious or has severe amnesia (again incredibly unlikely but it would make a good novel...)

In any case my heart and prayers go out for this young woman with so much life ahead of her, and for her distraught family. I personally pray that she will be found, safe and sound, and that her family will find peace with whatever the end story is.

Perhaps all of us with strong beliefs can add an extra prayer in tonight for Ms. Levy and all of the other "missing women" out there, that they may be found and their families may find peace.