Ex-Congressman Gary Condit, Once Linked to Chandra Levy, Is Writing Book

(Oct. 19) -- In a law office in an upscale section of Los Angeles, an unfinished yet potentially explosive book manuscript by a controversial figure, former U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, sits in a safe.

"I've read it. I think it's one of the most dramatic stories I've read," said Condit's attorney and spokesman, Bert Fields, whose safe holds the tantalizing manuscript -- Condit's account of his drama after being linked to intern Chandra Levy. "It's a Shakespearean drama."

Condit was once a politically invincible congressman from Central California, but his career imploded after he was romantically linked to the 24-year-old Levy. But Condit, 62, is returning to the limelight with jury selection under way this week in D.C. Superior Court for the trial of Ingmar Guandique, the illegal immigrant accused of killing Levy.

Ex-Congressman Linked to Chandra Levy Writing Revealing Book,

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Former Congressman Gary Condit, seen here in 2001, is reportedly working on a book about being linked to Chandra Levy, who went missing in 2001 after completing a federal internship with Condit.

Stories mentioning Condit's name are suddenly popping up. And on Monday, the first day of jury selection, prosecutors mentioned some names that might surface during trial -- and Condit's was among them.

Levy disappeared on May 1, 2001, and investigators were soon looking at Condit as a potential suspect, although he was never charged. Levy's skeletal remains were found in May 2002 in Washington's Rock Creek Park. In 2009, Guandique, a Salvadoran who had been convicted of attacking two joggers in the park, was charged with killing her.

Condit is expected to be called as a witness in the trial.

"He expects to testify and if he's asked to testify he will cooperate," Fields said.

In the meantime, Fields said Condit, who lives in the greater Phoenix area with wife, Carolyn, continues to work on putting the finishing touches on the manuscript, which won't be shopped around until after the trial. News reports also have Condit managing some real estate property.

"He is in the process of finishing the book and it will talk about everything that happened," Fields said. "Right now we're not showing the book to anyone. No publisher has seen it. He feels strongly the book should not come out while this trial is pending.

"It's very frank," Fields added.

The frankness would be a big departure from Condit's remarks of the past -- at least when it comes to his relationship with Levy. On that subject, he has been evasive or issued outright denials -- even after 2008, when The Washington Post reported that semen found on Levy's underwear matched Condit's DNA.

In the summer of 2001, in the thick of the investigation when Levy was missing, he appeared in an ABC interview with Connie Chung. His handlers expected him to do a mea culpa and admit to the affair.

But instead, Condit said: "I have not been a perfect man. I have made mistakes in my life. But out of respect for my family, out of a specific request by the Levy family, it is best that I not get into the details of the relationship."

Later, he told Larry King, who asked about his relationship with Levy: "You know, we're not going to go into that."

The irony of that all may have been that in 1998 Condit publicly demanded that President Bill Clinton "come clean" in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Condit was one of the "Blue Dog" Democrats, a group of congressional conservatives. He began serving in Congress in 1993. And while he never became a household name outside of his district -- that is, until the Chandra Levy disappearance -- he had a reputation for being responsive to his constituents. There was even speculation he might take a run at governor of California.

But his romantic link to Levy derailed such thoughts. And the unwanted attention was merciless. TV trucks parked outside his condo in the hip Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington. His photos appeared on television and in newspapers, and worse yet, in grocery store tabloids. It was also distraction for some investigators.

Jack Barrett, then chief of D.C. police detectives, told AOL News that four to six weeks into the investigation "we had come to the conclusion that he was not involved in the disappearance." But he said it took three months to convince the media and the U.S. Attorney's Office of that, which he says became a distraction for investigators.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office thought he and his wife were involved in the disappearance," Barrett said.

In 2002, Condit lost his bid for re-election.