Word: conditional
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...Gary Condit had nothing to do with Chandra Levy's disappearance, he may have become a classic example of the old adage about the cover-up being worse than whatever he might have done. "You advise your clients not to have any discussions concerning a case with anyone else," said one veteran Washington defense lawyer. "But people do it routinely. Even for smart, sophisticated people, the instinct is to tell others 'No, don't tell (the investigators)'" what happened...
...enforcement authorities spent six hours Wednesday talking to flight attendant Anne Marie Smith about, among other things, Condit's role in an attempt last month to persuade her to sign what she maintains is a false affidavit about their relationship. She'll be spending more time with investigators Thursday, but it's still a long way from here to an indictment for obstructing justice or suborning perjury. For one thing, it's extraordinarily difficult to nail someone for a cover-up when there's no evidence he was involved in the underlying crime - assuming, of course, that there...
...impossible. Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office will be trying to nail down a number of specifics, legal experts say, such as: Exactly when the affidavit was presented to Smith (if it was after the FBI talked to her, as her lawyer maintains, that's not good for Condit). Whether Condit knew what was in the affidavit (it helps the Congressman if his lawyer prepared it without revealing the contents). Whether Condit repeatedly asked Smith to sign the affidavit, as her attorney insists he did (if true, that's very bad news for Condit). Whether there are any witnesses...
...Condit's lawyer has said the affidavit was a draft, and contained a paragraph up top telling Smith she could alter or edit any portion of the document. But such assurances may not be enough if the affidavit was false on its face, and Condit did urge her to sign it as is. Beyond that, the case could come down to dueling dictionaries. Remember Bill Clinton's riff on "the meaning of 'is'"? The word "romantic," contained in the Smith-Condit affidavit, might be subject to similar parsing: "I do not and have not had a romantic relationship with Congressman...
...Condit's statements to police may also provide authorities with some leverage. If it's true that it took him until his third interview to confess to an affair with Levy, does that mean he lied to them in the first two sessions? Under the D.C. code obstruction of justice charges can be brought against anyone who "corruptly" (as in by lying) "obstructs or impedes or endeavors to obstruct or impede the due administration of justice in any official proceeding" (such as an investigation of someone's disappearance). For his part, Condit has officially stated that he never asked anyone...