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A Virginia chapter of the National Organization for Women is blasting the leadership in the Democratic Party for remaining silent on the Gary Condit affair.
Marie Jose Ragab says there is no disputing that Congressman Condit misled police in the early phases of the Chandra Levy case and continues to do so. However, the president of N.O.W.'s Dulles area chapter says the silence on Capitol Hill is deafening.
After a third interview with investigators, Condit finally admitted to having an affair with the 24-year-old Levy, who has been missing for more than 12 weeks.
A fourth interview between Rep. Condit and investigators took place last night. The FBI and homicide detectives from the Washington, D.C., police department met with the California Democrat at his office to discuss the case. Various sources say the two-hour interview focused on Levy's moods and habits, and other information police say they need to develop a profile of the missing woman.
Ragab believes Condit should be charged with lying to police (twice) and obstructing justice in the Levy investigation.
But, Ragab says, with the exception of a few House Republicans, the usually "long-winded" House of Representatives has been quiet on the issue. She says once again, Democrats have rallied around another dishonest politician they nurture and promote.
"The problem in the Democratic Party that we encountered under the Clinton Administration continues. We are very disappointed about that. We continue to be very disappointed with the silence of Democratic women," Ragab says."What is the point of having women in a political party or electing Democratic women if they run for cover every time one Democratic official, a man, has these sorts of problems? This is extremely disappointing."
Ragab notes that some of the most ardent Clinton protectors have surfaced at Condit's side while Chandra Levy's distraught parents have had to endure the cruel public attacks the married politician has unleashed against their missing daughter.
Ragab is also outraged at the apathy of N.O.W.'s newly elected President, Kim Gandy. "We think that it's absolutely amusing in a sense that she has not even taken actual control of the office, which was to happen at the beginning of August," she says.
"She's already had a test, and that was to stand against Gary Condit one way or the other. And she's not able to do it." Ragab says. "But, this is the same woman who was not able to stand against Mr. Clinton. She did not use the power of the vice presidency of N.O.W. that she had before to defend Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones. Quite the contrary."
The Dulles area chapter was one of the only N.O.W. chapters in the country to criticize President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating whether a top aide to Condit advised a former staff member not to tell police about an affair she claims to have had with Condit.
Joleen Argentini McKay, 29, of San Francisco, a member of Condit's staff for eight months in 1994, was quoted in a USA Today article published yesterday as saying Michael Dayton, Condit's administrative assistant in Washington, told her not to talk with FBI agents and police working on the Levy case. "Leave [the affair] in the past or it will ruin you," she quoted Dayton as saying, the newspaper reported.
In other developments, the Levy family's lawyer said yesterday that Chandra's parents may sue Congressman Condit if the young woman is not found. "It is clearly an option, and it is one that the family will consider at the appropriate time," attorney Billy Martin told the Associated Press.
Police would also like to interview Condit's wife Carolyn for a second time.
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