Backfire this:
CONDIT: CHANDRA
'SLEPT AROUND'
By STEVE DUNLEAVY, BRIAN BLOMQUIST
and DEBORAH ORIN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 18, 2001 -- WASHINGTON - The smearing of Chandra Levy has begun.
Rep. Gary Condit, who reportedly told cops he had an affair with the missing intern, touched off a furor yesterday when his spokeswoman was quoted as claiming Chandra has "a history of one-night stands."
The charge drew a fierce response from Chandra’s aunt, Linda Zamsky, who told The Post: "It’s tacky and it’s a disgrace, but some people wish to be tacky."
A Levy family spokesman denied that Chandra, 24, has had one-night stands, and Zamsky called the statement a low blow that hurts the family at a particularly sensitive time as D.C. cops search Rock Creek Park for her body.
The furor was touched off by the California Democrat’s damage-control spokeswoman, Marina Ein, when Salon.com quoted her as saying the intern has a history of frequent casual-sex encounters.
Ein sent a letter to Salon claiming the quotes attributed to her were "false and destructive" and demanding a retraction. But Salon’s Washington bureau chief, Kerry Lauerman, said the magazine stands by its story, adding he has "complete faith" in the writer, Joshua Micah Marshall.
The Salon article quoted Ein as implying the rumor came from Talk magazine writer Lisa DePaulo.
"What about the fact that Lisa DePaulo is working on this article for Talk magazine and it turns out Chandra Levy has a history of one-night stands?" Salon quoted Ein as saying.
A spokeswoman for Talk denied the magazine is set to report that Levy had one-night stands or that DePaulo said anything of the sort.
Condit’s lawyer and congressional spokesman didn’t return phone calls.
The sliming of Chandra hit Washington like a bomb, with investigators saying they don’t believe the charge is true, and analysts calling it an act of desperation that will backfire.
"That’s a new one on me. I hadn’t heard that she dated a lot," said D.C. Assistant Police Chief Terry Gainer.
Terry Lenzner, Washington’s best-known private investigator, said, "That side has been shooting themselves in the foot, and now they’re shooting themselves in the head to say this about a girl who’s missing and might be dead. Hasn’t the Levy family suffered enough?"
A Democratic strategist reacted with horror: "My God, the worst thing a male politician can do is slander a woman. This nuts-and-sluts stuff everybody is onto it. It doesn’t work."
Jim Feiger, manager of the Newport apartment building, where Levy lives, said, "I never saw Gary Condit here, and as far as I know, she never brought people into her apartment."
nypost.com |
