Connie Chung of ABC News PrimeTime Thursday asked Rep. Gary Condit about polygraph “testing” in the congressman’s first public interview since the disappearance of Chandra Levy. The following is an excerpt from the 3rd part of the 3-part transcript:
CHUNG Um, why won’t you take a polygraph test administered by the police? And why won’t you cooperate with Chandra Levy’s parents (sic) investigators?
CONDIT Well, let me say that, that uh … you know, this is sort of new to me. But when the polygraph issue came up …
CHUNG What is sort of new to you?
CONDIT This polygraph issue, in that uh … I’m not familiar with the polygraph people. But we went out to find the best.
CHUNG I understand.
CONDIT (Overlap) The best in the country.
CHUNG (Overlap) But why won’t you take one … from the police?
CONDIT (Overlap) We found the best in the country that … he trains the FBI agents who give the polygraph tests. And so we took the test. We passed the test. And his credibility is unchallenged by people in the industry. And I’m, I’m confused by the police chief’s comment immediately after we take the polygraph test. He did not read the polygraph test. Uh, I think you’ll find that people in the FBI now have seen the polygraph test, they can read the polygraph test, and it makes total sense to them. So we basically thought we were being helpful, just found the best guy we could find. And that’s what we did. And I don’t know if …
CHUNG (Overlap) Why, why won’t you cooperate with uh, the Levy family investigators? And why won’t you take … if you, if you are guilty of no criminal wrongdoing, if you’re not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, why don’t you take a polygraph test given by the police, and cooperate with Chandra Levy’s …
CONDIT (Overlap) But we’ve taken a polygraph test. And it, and it proves that I’m innocent. And it’s by, it’s by a … a guy who’s one of the highest-regarded gentlemen in that field in the country.
For discussion of Rep. Condit’s remarks, see the AntiPolygraph.org message board thread, “Gary Condit on Polygraph Testing.”