Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Gary Files # 22: Gary Condit

(This image is from his Wikipedia page.)

An explanation: Since the name Gary is going extinct, I thought it incumbent upon me to celebrate more notable Garys than myself.  This is the twenty-second of a series!

Gary Condit is, according to the Wikipedia, "a former politician & member of the Democratic Party who served in the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003."  The article continues, "Condit gained significant national attention for an extramarital affair with intern Chandra Levy, which was exposed after Levy's disappearance in May 2001."

When did you first become aware of him?  Around the time the rest of the country did, when he was suspected to be Levy's murderer.

Did you think he was guilty?  I did.  But so did everyone else.  Except maybe the police.

Did you follow the case closely?  No.  I am constitutionally unable to pay much attention to scandals that the media loves to cover.  I barely read anything about the OJ Simpson trial when it was happening, & I can't watch that new television drama about it.

Do you remember when he was vindicated?  I think so.  Apparently some guy who had killed two women in the same area turned out to be the killer.

His lawyer said, "It's a complete vindication but that comes a little late. Who gives him his career back?"?  It's hard to feel sorry for him, though.

Really?  It seems to me - this is just my opinion - that he chose to protect himself rather than be forthcoming when Levy went missing.  While being candid about the affair, etc., might not have helped Levy, it still showed that he decided to protect his career & personal life over the vanished woman.

For someone who didn't pay attention to the whole affair, you seem to have strong opinions about it.  Snap judgments are a way of life.

Was his name really Gary?  Gary Adrian Condit, yes.

Do you know why he was named Gary?  He was born in 1948.  You figure it out.

Do you know whatever happened to him?  He lost reelection after the affair, even though he was never charged.  Wikipedia says, "After his departure from office, Condit moved to Arizona & operated an ice cream store franchise."

It's weird to think that that's what someone does after being in the US House Of Representatives!

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