Condit children quit California governor's staff

MODESTO, California (CNN) -- The children of embattled Rep. Gary Condit resigned from posts in California Gov. Gray Davis' administration Tuesday after Davis criticized their father.

"The Condits are a very proud and loyal family, not only in the good times but in the darkest hours," Chad and Cadee Condit wrote Davis in a letter delivered Tuesday.

Davis on Monday said he was "disheartened" that Condit "did not speak out more quickly or more fully" about his relationship with Chandra Levy, a former U.S. Bureau of Prisons intern who has been missing since April 30. He offered no endorsement of Condit, joining a growing list of Democrats who appear to be distancing themselves from him.

VIDEO Chad and Cadee Condit resign from California Governor Gray Davis' staff. CNN's Bob Franken reports (August 28) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Rep. Gary Condit's son Chad gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Larry King Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES • California governor 'disheartened' over Condit's conduct   • The Condit interviews   • Connie Chung 'shocked'   • Flight attendant stands by Condit story     EXTRA INFORMATION • Transcript: Gary Condit interview   • Key players   • Timeline   • Profile: Gary Condit     RESOURCES • Statement from Chad and Cadee Condit   • Statement from Gov. Gray Davis on Chad and Cadee Condit   • Transcript: Chad Condit on "Larry King Live"   • Message Board: Condit and the Levy case

"I don't have any specific advice for the congressman. What he should or shouldn't do are matters best left to him and his constituents," Davis said. The Levy family should be the media's focus, not "the political implications or fallout of this event," he added.

Noting their father's earlier support for Davis, Chad and Cadee Condit said: "Friendship should not be based on poll numbers."

"You may remember our father's strong public support, endorsement and organizational effort for you during the bleakest moments of your 1998 primary campaign," they said in their resignation letter.

"It is that kind of loyalty to friends that has been the hallmark of his career and is a standard we strive to live up to. Continued employment with the governor's office after your public statement regarding our father would undercut that standard."

Chad Condit, 34, worked as an assistant to Davis on agricultural and legislative issues related to California's Central Valley. The job paid $110,000 a year.

Cadee Condit, 25, was a special assistant overseeing day-to-day operations at Davis's private office. She was paid $52,000 a year.

Condit, 53 and married, faces increasing criticism on the Levy matter, especially after a series of interviews that were widely seen as a public relations disaster. Many lawmakers and political pundits said Condit seemed evasive in his answers. Several Republicans have called for his resignation.

Levy's parents say the seven-term congressman had an affair with their daughter. Publicly, Condit has said Levy was a "close friend," but law enforcement sources said Condit admitted a sexual relationship with the 24-year-old Levy during his third interview with Washington, D.C., police.

Various polls have shown support for Condit dropping in California's 18th Congressional District, centered around Modesto. Many top Democrats no longer give Condit even a lukewarm endorsement, saying it is up to him and his constituents to decide what his political future will be.

In an interview Monday night on CNN, Chad Condit said he didn't know whether his father will seek an eighth term. But he added: "My family vote would be that he doesn't. I don't think that he deserves this."