Gary Adrian Condit (born April 21, 1948) is a former
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
, a
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
who served in the
House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1989 to 2003. Condit represented
California's 18th congressional districtCalifornia's 18th congressional district is in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California, and includes the cities of Stockton, Modesto, Ceres, Atwater, Merced and Los Banos...
which includes much of the northern
San Joaquin ValleyThe San Joaquin Valley refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton...
(when he was first elected, this district was the
15th DistrictCalifornia's 15th congressional district covers part of Santa Clara County. The current Representative for this district is Democrat Mike Honda.-Voting:-List of Representatives :-Election...
; it became the 18th district after redistricting following the
1990 censusThe Twenty-first United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 Census....
). He is most noted for his affair with
Chandra LevyChandra Ann Levy was an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001 and is presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002. The investigation into her disappearance uncovered an extramarital affair with then-U.S...
, which was exposed after Levy's disappearance. She was later confirmed to be a victim of murder, for which Ingmar A. Guandique, a 27-year-old illegal alien from
El SalvadorEl Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as does Nicaragua further south. It has a population of approximately 5.7 million people as of 2009 on...
has been charged.
Early life and career
Condit was born in
Woodland JunctionMayes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 38,369. Its county seat is Pryor, Oklahoma.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, to Jean and Adrian Condit. His father was a Free Will Baptist minister. He has two brothers, Burl and Darrell, and a sister, Dovie Condit Wilson. When Condit was 14, his family moved to
TulsaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 45th-largest in the United States. With an estimated population of 385,635 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 916,079 residents projected to reach one million between 2010...
. He attended Nathan Hale High School where he met pep squad member Carolyn Berry; they married on January 18, 1967. Carolyn is a Roman Catholic. Their son, Chad, was born in July 1967. Daughter Cadee P. Condit was born in 1975 in California.
Condit came with his wife and young son to the
San Joaquin ValleyThe San Joaquin Valley refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton...
in the late 1960s, following his father. Rev. Condit had moved to California in search of a new congregation, eventually becoming pastor of the Village Chapel Free Will Baptist Church, about 100 miles from San Francisco.
Condit graduated from
California State University, StanislausCalifornia State University, Stanislaus, also known as Stanislaus State or simply Stan State is a campus in the California State University system which was established in 1957 in Turlock, California. It is also the only campus in the CSU system to offer a bachelor's degree in cognitive studies...
, in
TurlockTurlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 55,810, the second-largest city in Stanislaus County...
in 1972. After a brief time with a public relations business, Condit was elected to the
CeresCeres is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. The population was 34,609 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area.-General:...
City Council.
In 1974, Condit was elected
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
of Ceres, and from 1976 to 1982 was a member of the
Stanislaus CountyStanislaus County is a county located in the Central Valley of the state of California. As the price of housing has increased in the San Francisco Bay Area, many people who work in the southern reaches of the Bay Area have opted for the longer commute and moved to Stanislaus County for the...
Board of Supervisors.
In 1982, Condit was elected to the
California State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
. His campaign theme was "A Good Example." While a member of the assembly, Condit was a member of the "Gang of Five," a small caucus of Blue Dog Democrats. At the time, the Democrats (led by Assembly Speaker
Willie BrownWillie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over thirty years in the California State Assembly, spending fifteen years as its Speaker, and afterward served as mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
) held a 44-36 majority in the Assembly. The Gang of Five threatened to ally with the
RepublicansThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
, thereby setting up a 41-39 majority, and elect one of themselves as speaker, but this effort failed when Republican Assemblyman Richard Longshore died, making it impossible to get an immediate Republican total over 40 in the 80-seat Assembly.
(see "Gang of Five" below)
Congressional career
Condit was elected to Congress in a 1989
special electionThe number of elections in California varies by year. California has a gubernatorial election every four years and, in 2003, it had a recall election. Primary elections were held in March or June until 2008, when they were held in February. General elections, which cover state-wide issues, are...
, after House Democratic Whip
Tony CoelhoAnthony "Tony" Coelho is a former United States congressman from California, and primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act...
resigned. His most important committee assignment was as a senior member on the House Intelligence Committee in the months and years prior to the
September 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners...
on
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
According to
Salon, Condit voted against President
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office...
most frequently of all Congressional Democrats. In 1998, during the
Monica LewinskyMonica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom then-United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while Lewinsky worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
scandal, Condit publicly demanded that Clinton "come clean" on his relationship with the young woman; this demand would become part of a film clip aired often during Condit's own sex scandal.
Chandra Levy scandal
In May 2001, Condit became the subject of national news coverage after the May 1 disappearance of
Chandra LevyChandra Ann Levy was an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001 and is presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002. The investigation into her disappearance uncovered an extramarital affair with then-U.S...
, a young woman working as a
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
internAn intern is one who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training rather than merely employment, making it similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for...
originally from Condit's district. Police questioned him twice, and Condit denied having an affair with her; however, after Levy's aunt went public with conversations she had had with her missing niece about the adulterous liaison, police questioned him a third time, and Condit confessed to the relationship. When the affair began, Condit was 53 and Levy was 23.
While Condit was not named as an official suspect in the disappearance, Levy's family (and subsequently the national media) suspected that Condit was withholding important information about the intern's disappearance. Public interest was very high, and Condit's reputation suffered not just from the contrast between his "pro-family" politics versus his adultery with a woman two years younger than his daughter, and his attempts to mislead the police, but in particular, from an incident in July, two months after Levy vanished, in which Condit was caught trying to hide a gift box in a dumpster in one of Washington's Virginia suburbs.
Suspicion deepened when Condit tried to avoid answering direct questions during a televised interview with news anchor
Connie ChungConstance Yu-Hwa "Connie" Chung Povich is an American journalist who has been an anchor and reporter for several U.S. television news networks.-Background:...
on August 23. This followed news reports that Condit had an affair with flight attendant Anne Marie Smith.
Condit disappeared from the news after
9/11The September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners...
.
Despite the allegations against him, Condit was allowed to keep his seat on the Intelligence Committee, and he did not lose his security clearance. Condit was one of just a handful of members of Congress who were cleared to see the most sensitive information on the 9/11 attacks.
On December 7, he announced he would run for re-election. He lost the primary election in March 2002 to his former aide, then-
AssemblymanThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
Dennis CardozaDennis A. Cardoza is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 18th District of California. He defeated his former boss, Congressman Gary Condit, in the March 2002 Democratic Party primary election...
, and left Congress at the end of his term in January 2003. It was the first election Condit ever lost. Condit's most notable vote in his last months in office was the
House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
resolution to expel Congressman
James TraficantJames Anthony Traficant, Jr. is a former Democratic Representative in the United States Congress from Ohio . He represented the 17th Congressional District, which centered around his hometown of Youngstown and includes parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley...
after his conviction on corruption charges. In the 420-1 vote on July 24, 2002, Gary Condit was the sole "nay".
Levy's remains did not turn up during the extensive search that followed her disappearance, but were discovered by accident on May 22, 2002, by a man hunting for turtles with his dog in a secluded area of
Rock Creek ParkRock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:...
in Washington, D.C. That month, a
medical examinerA medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
officially declared that Levy's death was the result of
homicideHomicide refers to the act of a human killing a human being. A common form of homicide, for example, would be murder. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
.
The case remained unsolved until March 2009, when police issued a warrant naming Ingmar Guandique as the murderer of Chandra Levy. Guandique is a prison inmate who had confessed to two other attacks on women in
Rock Creek ParkRock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:...
. He was subsequently indicted for Levy's murder.
Brothers in public eye
Investigations uncovered details relating to the activities of Condit's two brothers. His brother Burl, a police sergeant in Modesto, California, had shot himself in the buttocks during a frivolous firing episode and was the focus of a 1999 gun-buying scandal. Burl claimed to have taken one gun from the police department's surplus property, though records showed he took nine; there was confusion about how many, if any, of the guns he paid for.
Burl Condit twice ran unsuccessfully for the office of Stanislaus County Sheriff. His opponent, Jim Trevena, complained that Burl was illegally using his brother Gary's campaign funds in the race for sheriff. Gary was a state assemblyman at the time and had not yet won his Congressional seat. By 2006, Burl Condit had left the police force and was working as part-time civilian city employee assigned to the police department's weapons training range.
In 2001, Condit's other brother, Darrell Wayne, was wanted on outstanding warrants from
ModestoModesto is the county seat of Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 211,156 as of April 2009, Modesto ranks as the 16th largest city in the state of California. Modesto is located in Northern California, just 92 miles east of San Francisco, 68 miles south of the state...
(drug possession) and from Darrell's then-current residence,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
(DUI). In 1998, Darrell had resisted a ticket in Ceres for riding a bicycle on the wrong side of the road, telling the arresting officer that his Congressman and police sergeant brothers would get the Ceres officer "in big trouble."
Darrell's arrest record at the time of the Levy scandal extended from 1968 through 1996. Florida wanted him for probation violation with a bond set at $50,000. He had been charged by
Monroe County, FloridaMonroe County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 79,589. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county was 74,737....
in November 1996 with driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of marijuana. The probation violation arose from the DUI charge.
In the uproar over Gary Condit's possible connection to Levy, his brother Darrell was tracked down and arrested July 21. Reporters uncovered Darrell's history of federal and state convictions for drug possession, check forging, and vehicle theft. The
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
made references to Darrell's
methamphetamineMethamphetamine also known as metamfetamine , dextromethamphetamine, methylamphetamine, N-methylamphetamine, and desoxyephedrine) is a psychostimulant and sympathomimetic drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine...
addiction and "needle-scarred body" that were quoted by other news outlets. Although Gary and Darrell were not close, there was rampant (and unfounded) speculation that Condit might have involved his "criminal brother" in arranging Levy's disappearance, so much so that Darrell was put into solitary confinement for his own protection when Florida picked him up.
By 2005, Darrell Condit was using the name Hop Condit, and trying to raise money for a fireworks display in
Cave Creek, ArizonaCave Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona in the United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town was 4,951.-Geography:Cave Creek is located at ....
. A local newspaper cast aspersions on his actual purpose and qualifications, and reported extensive details of his criminal history and incarcerations and stated that Hop Condit was not his only alias, asserting that he also uses the name of a former cellmate, Stanley Johnnie Buchanan. Gary Condit would later unsuccessfully sue the newspaper for their passing reference to him in this article about Darrell.
(see "Sonoran News" below)
Dominick Dunne slander suit
Condit initiated a lawsuit against Vanity Fair writer
Dominick DunneDominick John Dunne was an American writer and investigative journalist whose subjects frequently hinged on the ways high society interacts with the judicial system. He was a producer in Hollywood and was also known for his frequent appearances on television...
in a New York federal court in late 2002 for $11 million, claiming that statements made by Dunne about Condit libeled him. The comments indicated that Condit ordered the death of missing Modesto intern Chandra Levy in 2001. Condit's attorney said the defamation lawsuit was based on comments Dunne repeated on national radio and television programs in December 2001 where he suggested Condit frequented Middle Eastern embassies for sexual activity with prostitutes, and during those times, he made it clear that he wanted someone to get rid of Levy. Wood said that Dunne's comments "conveyed that Gary Condit was involved in her kidnapping and in her murder, that friends of Gary Condit had her kidnapped, put in an airplane and dropped in the Atlantic Ocean." Dunne paid an undisclosed amount to settle that lawsuit in March 2005. Dunne said he had been "completely hoodwinked" by an unreliable informant. Subsequently Condit sued Dunne again, charging him with "revivifying" the slander in an appearance on
Larry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. The show debuted in 1985, and is CNN's most watched program, with over one million viewers nightly.The show broadcasts from CNN's Los Angeles studios...
in November 2005. In July 2008 a federal judge dismissed the second lawsuit filed against Dunne.
Sonoran News defamation of character
In July 2006, Condit sued the
Sonoran News, a free weekly circular, for defamation of character, after the publication wrote "that Condit was the 'main focus in the Chandra Levy case in 2001, after lying to investigators about his affair with Levy.'"
The case was dismissed in July 2007 when the judge ruled that Condit had not proved the statement was false, or that the paper had published it with actual malice.
Baskin Robbins franchises revoked
Following his congressional career, Condit moved to
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
. In February 2005, he started two
Baskin-RobbinsBaskin-Robbins is a global chain of ice cream parlors founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in 1953, from the merging of their respective ice cream parlors, in Glendale, California. It claims to be the world's largest ice cream franchise, with more than 5,800 locations, 2,800 of which are located...
ice cream shop
franchiseFranchising is the practice of using another person's business model. The franchisor grants the independent operator the right to distribute its products, techniques, and trademarks for a percentage of gross monthly sales and a royalty fee...
s with his wife and children in
GlendaleGlendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 246,531....
. In March 2006, Baskin-Robbins revoked the franchising agreement, claiming the Condits owed them $14,221.29. Among the corporation's complaints was that the Condits continued to use the Baskin-Robbins name after the franchises were revoked.
Son and daughter prosecuted for PAC fraud
On January 10, 2006, the
California Fair Political Practices CommissionSUMMARYThe California Fair Political Practices Commission is the government body that enforces political campaign, lobbying, and conflict of interest laws in the state of California, similar to what the Federal Elections Commission does at the federal level...
filed a $2 million suit against Condit's son Chad and daughter Cadee, alleging violations of the Political Reform Act in relation to Justice
PACIn the United States , a Political Action Committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a matter of state and federal law...
.
The FPPC enforcement actions against both Condit children were dropped quietly in 2007.
Gang of Five
The 1988 membership of the "Gang of Five" consisted of co-founders Gary Condit and Charles Calderon of Whittier; Jerry Eaves of Rialto; Rusty Areias of Los Banos; and Steve Peace of Chula Vista. Most maintained some contact with Condit through the years.
Charles M. CalderonCharles M. Calderon began his second stint in the California State Assembly in 2006 . He represents the 58th District, which includes the cities of Montebello, Pico Rivera, Hacienda Heights Rowland Heights, South San Gabriel, South San Jose Hills, Valinda and portions of City of Industry, Downey,...
left the State Assembly in 1990 for a seat in the California State Senate. Calderon returned to the State Assembly in 2006.
Jerry EavesGerlad R. Eaves is a former California State Assemblyman who served from 1984 until 1992. He served on the Rialto City Council from 1977 until 1980 and as Mayor of Rialto from 1980 until 1984. After leaving the Assembly, he served on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors from 1992 until...
became San Bernardino County Supervisor by 2001. In that office, he was indicted four times between February 2000 and April 2002 on corruption charges including bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy. Eaves refused to leave his position as Supervisor after his indictments. Condit's Justice PAC gave $10,000 to Eaves during this time. Eaves was able to "strike a deal" that kept him out of prison, but cost him the Supervisor's seat.
Another "Gang of Five" member, Rusty Areias, had gone into personal bankruptcy, but by 2001 was the head of California's state park system. He was expected to run from that position against Chad Condit in Chad's planned November 2001 race for the state Senate.
Condit appeared in the
1988-Top grossing films :source: http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1988&p=.htm- Awards :Academy Awards:* Alice * Alien Nation, starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin* Amsterdamned...
film
Return of the Killer TomatoesReturn of the Killer Tomatoes! was the first sequel to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!.-Synopsis:Set twenty five years after the events of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! , the basic plotline is that after the events of the first film Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) was the first sequel to...
, as an unbilled, unspeaking pizzeria patron during a fight sequence. "Gang of Five" member
Stephen PeaceJ. Stephen "Steve" Peace is a film writer and producer, and a U.S. Democratic politician from California.Peace was born in 1953 in San Diego, California and is an alumnus of UC San Diego....
was the co-writer/producer of the film, and he and Condit were both still members of the
California State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
at the time. Wearing a trucker cap, Condit smashes a bottle on the head of a cowboy. Peace moved up from the State Assembly to the State Senate, but was implicated in a utility deregulation scandal in the early 2000s.
In popular culture
- On December 12, 2001, Condit was featured in an episode of the animated series South Park
South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, called "Butters' Very Own Episode"Butters' Very Own Episode" is episode 79 of the Comedy Central series South Park and the season finale for the show's fifth season, making it the first season not to have a Christmas special...
." In the episode, he is severely ridiculed for his lack of forthrightness concerning Levy's disappearance and is categorized together with suspected murderer O. J. SimpsonOrenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American football player, football broadcaster, actor, and spokesman. He originally attained fame in sports as a running back at the collegiate and professional levels and was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards...
and the formerly suspected John and Patsy RamseyJonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant queen made famous by her murder and the subsequent media coverage. She was found dead in the basement of her parents' home in Boulder, Colorado, nearly eight hours after she was reported missing...
.
- On March 20, 2002, Condit was once again alluded to in an episode of South Park
South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, called "Freak Strike"Freak Strike" is the 82nd episode of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on March 20, 2002.This episode features a completely new opening sequence replacing the “4th Grade” one. It features the boys being made out of construction paper while clips are shown. With Kenny being...
". When Cartman appears on Maury and is arguing with the other out-of-control child about who’s badder, he states he "ran for Congress, won, and then had sex with an intern, killed her, and hid her body."
See also
- Political sex scandals in the United States
External links
- Condit's Profile on CNN
Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is an U.S. cable news network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first network to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States...