USA Today reporter discusses Condit-Levy relationship

Tom Squitieri

USA Today reporter Tom Squitieri has been reporting on missing Washington intern Chandra Levy and looking into her relationship with Rep. Gary Condit. He spoke to CNN anchor Joie Chen on Thursday about what his reporting has turned up.

CHEN: You have talked to a relative of Chandra Levy's who said -- and you aren't even saying whether this is a he or she relative -- that this person has some information that led this person to believe that Chandra Levy did have more than just a friendship with Congressman Condit.

SQUITIERI: Correct. In the story that I wrote, along with my colleague, Kevin Johnson, we detail some of the information that Chandra Levy told this relative during two visits to the relative's home in Maryland as well as several telephone conversations.

It goes to the heart of the close relationship she told the relatives she had with Congressman Condit. This information had been turned over the police as well by the relative and others, and they have investigated it -- they are investigating it. They do not brush this away from the information, and we think it's crucial in using to determine just what the type of relationship was, and then if that is important in finding Chandra Levy.

CHEN: Chandra, apparently offered some evidence that there was more to this relationship.

SQUITIERI: Correct. One of the gifts that she said, Joie, that the congressman gave her was a gold bracelet. And during the visit to the relative's home during Passover, which is in early April, in this very room and I can see the video on, that's the relative's home, she -- you can see the gold bracelet there on her wrist. And at one point she told the relative that this came from Congressman Condit -- this was given to her by Congressman Condit.

CHEN: Though, you know, you hear about all of this, and we have been watching sort of the minutiae of the whole investigation. Somebody said this, somebody came forward and said they said that, the chauffeur says he thinks this, a relative -- you know, at what point is this all -- I mean, interesting information and salacious to some level. But really, what does it have to do with her being missing?

SQUITIERI: You put your finger in the most important point, and I -- we've been trying hard, as others have been. Right now there are two stories going on: What happened to Chandra Levy? Where is she? And also, peripherally, her relationship with the congressman, what that means.

If the two parallel paths, as it were, cross at some point, if they have an intersection, that the relationship bears evidence which leads to finding out what happened to her, then it's important. But I think we all have to be careful and we all have done a pretty good job of keeping the eye on the prize, so to speak. You know, the story is a missing intern. She did have a friendship with a congressman. That's helped elevate the case, as well as her parents have been very good about keeping the media involved in the case.

And if the information regarding her relationship is crucial to finding her, then all well and good, I think we'll all be happy that we've worked so diligently on it.

CHEN: Did this relative give you any other indication that she had heard anything from Chandra's -- Chandra's own anticipation about her future? Something that might be ahead for her?

SQUITIERI: Yes. As we reported in the paper today, Joie, that she received a telephone message on her answering machine, the relative, on the Sunday before Chandra disappeared. She disappeared -- last seen on April 30th, so that would be April 29th. And the message was that, "I have big news for you, to tell you," and the voice was very matter-of-fact, a very normal Chandra.

And so it suggested that even though her internship was over and she was heading back to California, something was happening that she wanted to share with this relative who she viewed as one of her closest confidants.

CHEN: Did this relative get any indication whether this was big news about a job, big news about going home, big news about personal life, big news anything?

SQUITIERI: No, just "big news," and the relative -- when the call was returned to Chandra there was no answer, because at this point, it was after she vanished.