Christopher Caldwell: Interns, ethics and politics

Christopher Caldwell is a rotating guest panelist on Take 5, CNN's original talk program featuring a new generation of reporters, opinion makers and observers. He joined the CNN.com chat room from Washington D.C.

CNN: Thank you for joining us today, Christopher Caldwell, and welcome.

CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL: Hi, nice to be here.

CNN: This is the fourth time that Rep. Condit has met with the police. What is different about this time?

CALDWELL: First, he's also meeting with the FBI, which has opened its own missing-persons investigation. Condit is seeking to spin this in the media as a new direction for the investigation, saying the FBI is interested only in profiling Chandra Levy. I don't believe it.

VIDEO With Chandra Levy dominating headlines, what motivates people to become government interns? CNN's Jason Bellini intends to find out (July 26) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Former FBI profiler Robert Ressler and former prosecutor Victoria Toensing talk to CNN's Wolf Blitzer about Condit's pending FBI interview (July 25) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES Congressman seeks ethics rule regarding interns   Fellow Blue Dog Dem scolds Condit     EXTRA INFORMATION Key players   Interactive timeline   Profile: Gary Condit     RESOURCES On the Scene: Frank Newport: Public interest in the Levy case   Message board: The case of the missing intern

CNN: Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colorado, said he would ask the House Standards of Official Conduct Committee to write a rule making it clear that sexual relationships between interns and members of Congress are unethical. Has this ever been brought up before? What are the possible repercussions of such relationships?

CALDWELL: There is no such rule now. It would certainly affect a lot more congressmen than we'd care to believe, but it seems inappropriate as a response to this case, since the problem here is not so much sex as the fact that Chandra Levy is missing, and, sadly, presumably dead.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Why do you think the media should still be talking about Condit?

CALDWELL: Not only do I think the media should still be talking to Condit, I think the media should be pursuing this case even more aggressively than it has been. Condit and his staff have sought to portray this case as a mere sexual witch hunt. They have succeeded, in part.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Why aren't we trying to find other missing people? This seems like she is better than any other missing person. It's unfair, and callous.

CALDWELL: Maybe that's right. But I would say that on the other hand, this case is marked by a lot of the same inconveniences and frustrations that beset any missing-persons case: inability to describe an intimate as a suspect, despite a pattern of self-incriminating behavior, etc.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: When is enough, enough on this matter?

CALDWELL: When the case is solved.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: People are just interested in the fate of Chandra

CALDWELL: I agree completely. A lot of the Washington press is (wrongly) a bit embarrassed about covering a "sex story." So they cover the story through the lens of Condit's political fate. Condit's political fate has been decided, and it was a matter of secondary importance to begin with. You're absolutely right: Chandra Levy should remain the focus.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Why don't they focus more on Chandra's other boyfriends?

CALDWELL: I think the only source that Chandra has other boyfriends of any significance has been Gary Condit, aided by his public relations consultant, Marina Ein. Chandra was living in Condit's apartment all of April, not hanging around with any other boyfriends.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: My friends in Condit's district still like him and will vote for him again.

CALDWELL: I don't believe that Condit is re-electable. This is not Barney Frank's district. The adultery to which he has already admitted is enough to sink him. Although how the Democratic Party is playing this is interesting, too.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Perhaps if the parents of missing relatives spoke out as the Levy are doing, don't you think that more could be done to find the missing? CALDWELL: Tragically, no. The Levys have had an easier time of conveying their plight to a sympathetic public, because their daughter was involved with a semi-celebrity. This is not to say that we shouldn't make use of this incident to alert the public to what is a widespread and heartbreaking problem.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Mr. Caldwell, what happens if Condit is not involved at all? Will there be a backlash by the voters because they feel he has been hounded?

CALDWELL: Backlash against whom? If Condit is cleared in this case, he may win back some voters, but I don't think Americans view this as a case in which other politicians are to blame for his downfall, and can be accused of over-reacting. That's a big political difference between this and the Lewinsky affair.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Do you think that the media spotlight has given some in Congress a check on their perceived power?

CALDWELL: Yes. The political disarray into which Democrats have been thrown is actually minor. The check comes in personal conduct. Office affairs, and using interns as sexual perquisites, is bound to be something that people are less inclined to turn a blind eye to.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Do you think other congressmen will think twice before having an affair?

CALDWELL: It depends on the congressman. Yes, they'll think twice. But politicians are, by their nature, aggressive people with big egos, so I don't hold out high hopes.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: If Condit were proved innocent of any crime, could he sue the media and especially the tabloids?

CALDWELL: Yes, he could. But, first, I don't think his case is strong on a factual basis, since most reporting thus far has been corroborated by emerging facts, that is, it has been responsible. Second, Condit does not want to open a new court case with discovery and presentations of evidence.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Isn't former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's new wife a former employee in his office?

CALDWELL: Yes. She's not missing and presumed dead.

CHAT PARTICIPANT: Do you think the new congressional rule of no relationships with interns brought up by the Republican congressman has a chance at passing?

CALDWELL: Yes, if only because it's being put forward in a climate of scrutiny. But it shouldn't pass, and it's an unduly draconian measure that confuses a pretty common type of sexual peccadillo with a potentially monstrous crime.

CNN: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us today?

CALDWELL: Without rushing to judgment, it is a matter of vital importance that the press continue to investigate this story. No one should be bullied away from it by accusations of sensationalism and tabloid journalism.

CNN: Thank you for joining us today, Christopher Caldwell.

CALDWELL: Thanks a lot, great to be here. Enjoyed it once again.

Christopher Caldwell joined the CNN.com chat room by telephone and CNN provided a typist. This is an edited transcript of the interview, which took place on Friday, July 27, 2001.