# Name of a politician who was “saved” by 9/11? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956 "2014-11-30T16:45:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/21 "2014-12-01T19:14:06Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I believe Condit was also the lone dissenting vote on invading Afghanistan to crush the Taliban. He knew his career was over so he said ‘Fuck it!’ I guess… The lone dissenting vote was Representative [Barbara Lee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Lee), who also represents a California East Bay district. Because of redistricting, I believe she and Condit have represented some of the same areas at various times, although the districts have been redrawn and renumbered. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/22 "2014-12-01T19:14:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Yet another reason to hate 9/11! It would seem to be a silver lining to 9/11 in fact, since it saved an innocent man from unnecessary time in the court of public opinion. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/23 "2014-12-01T19:26:44Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It would seem to be a silver lining to 9/11 in fact, since it saved an innocent man from unnecessary time in the court of public opinion. Well, I’m sure to Condit, 9/11 was wonderful in its own way. I hate it for the lack of information I have on anything non-9/11 related ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/24 "2014-12-01T20:08:55Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Wow, I had no idea it was resolved! I’m just finding out about this now! Yet another reason to hate 9/11! > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It would seem to be a silver lining to 9/11 in fact, since it saved an innocent man from unnecessary time in the court of public opinion. Here’s the link to wiki on the story. I’ll repeat once more, the scandal was much more than accusations of Condit murdering Levy. Murder accusations were aired. However, earlier and just as intense allegations were made against Condit for his lying to the police. Allegations that subsequently were proven true. This in itself would have been career breaking for almost any politician. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary\_Condit#Levy\_scandal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Condit#Levy_scandal) “in 2001, Condit became the subject of international news coverage after the disappearance of Chandra Levy, a young woman working as a Washington, D.C. intern, originally from Condit’s district.\*\* Police questioned Condit twice, and both times he denied having an affair with her; however, Levy’s aunt eventually went public with conversations she had with her about their relationship. Police questioned Condit a third time, and he confessed to the relationship.[\*\*5][6] When the affair began, Condit was 53 and Levy was 23.” Condit did not murder Levy, neither did Condit’s lying to the police result in her death. However, his lying to investigators did mislead the police in a missing persons/suspected murder inquiry. His lying was eventually proven by the plucky investigation by Levy’s own family; a family investigation which was justifiably feeding information to the media. Im sure you can imagine the media circus this story generated. It’s stretching credibility to say 9/11 either saved or ruined Condit. It probably hindered his message of “innocence” but hindered is about as strong a descritipon that can be used. And of course he was only “innocent” of Levy’s murder, but _was_ guilty of lying to a police investigation into a missing person. All this before he was outted as family values politician with a record of serial(?) adultery. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/25 "2014-12-01T20:25:48Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Well, I’m sure to Condit, 9/11 was wonderful in its own way. I hate it for the lack of information I have on anything non-9/11 related This was a very local story for me (living in the SF Bay area), and I remember remarking to some friends a few days after the attacks that GC must be the only person in the US who wasn’t totally upset by them. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/26 "2014-12-01T20:57:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s worth noting that Condit wasn’t saved by 9/11. He was widely suspected in the murder of Chandra Levy but the story got dropped from national attention after the 9/11 attacks. So everyone heard that Condit was a suspect but nobody heard that he was innocent. Levy was actually murdered by a serial killer who was arrested a few months later. That guy was a serial killer? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/27 "2014-12-01T21:44:03Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > That guy was a serial killer? I don’t think so. He was a MS-13 member who attacked women in the park. He was in jail for the other non-fatal attacks. Does anyone know the results of [this](http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/11/hearing-on-new-trial-to-begin-in-chandra-levy-case-108946.html)? I saw several articles from a month ago stating there was a hearing to see if there would be a retrial. But I didn’t see the outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/28 "2014-12-01T22:17:19Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > That guy was a serial killer? It appears I remembered that part incorrectly. Ingmar Guandique was a serial rapist but Levy appears to be the only one of his victims who he killed. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/29 "2014-12-01T22:30:23Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But the news about their affair disappeared right after 9/11. Right. Pretty much the entire 24-hour Condit “news” speculation cycle ceased that morning. In the weeks leading up to 9/11, CNN had even been nicknamed the “Condit News Network” due to their incessant and repetitive discussion and speculation on the Condit matter. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/30 "2014-12-01T23:24:16Z")
I didn’t see this explicitly mentioned, but her wiki page says “According to Condit, there were about a hundred reporters camped out in front of his apartment during the morning of September 11, 2001, but they all left after news had spread about the terrorist attacks.” Wow, I figured the attacks just generally overtook him in the press, like maybe his story was on page 10 because the attacks were much bigger news, but no, a huge mass of reporters literally stopped watching him 24/7 on the morning of Sept 11. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/31 "2014-12-01T23:39:43Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Giuliani was scheduled to leave office in January 2002 - the mayoral election was in Nov. 2001, and he wasn’t running due to term limits. He tried to get a 3 month extension to his position after the attacks, but Bloomberg took office normally on Jan 1. Rudy certainly got a ton of press during those 4 months, but apart from a dismal showing in the 2008 presidential primary, he never ran for or held any office again. But his lasting reputation is now based on 9/11, not on a messy divorce that had him moving his mistress into the mayoral mansion, or on his response to several notorious incidents of anti-black violence by NYPD officers. Condit never returned to office either, for that matter - and even if he didn’t kill Levy, he certainly was banging her. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/32 "2014-12-01T23:46:51Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Not quite. A quick google shows he voted in favour of invading Afghanistan. It was Iraq he voted against invading. Still, you may be correct, it may have been a “fuck you” vote. Wasn’t he the lone dissenting vote in James Traficant’s expulsion from Congress? ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/33 "2014-12-02T16:55:42Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Condit did not murder Levy, neither did Condit’s lying to the police result in her death. However, his lying to investigators did mislead the police in a missing persons/suspected murder inquiry. His lying was eventually proven by the plucky investigation by Levy’s own family; a family investigation which was justifiably feeding information to the media. Im sure you can imagine the media circus this story generated. It’s stretching credibility to say 9/11 either saved or ruined Condit. It probably hindered his message of “innocence” but hindered is about as strong a descritipon that can be used. And of course he was only “innocent” of Levy’s murder, but _was_ guilty of lying to a police investigation into a missing person. All this before he was outted as family values politician with a record of serial(?) adultery. Excellent point ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/34 "2014-12-02T18:18:37Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Wasn’t he the lone dissenting vote in James Traficant’s expulsion from Congress? Yes, I think I read that on his wiki page. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/35 "2014-12-02T21:35:15Z")
_South Park_ ripped Condit, O.J. and the Ramseys in one episode, implying they were “murdering murderers”. It was pretty damn funny, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/36 "2014-12-03T23:15:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > But his lasting reputation is now based on 9/11, not on a messy divorce that had him moving his mistress into the mayoral mansion, or on his response to several notorious incidents of anti-black violence by NYPD officers. Prior to the attacks, Giuliani’s popularity and reputation were at a seriously low ebb. In addition to the scandals discussed above, his short-term fixes to the City’s budget were beginning to unravel, and he was becoming seen as mean, petty and authoritarian. It was his active (and, indeed, authoritarian) response to the terrorist attacks that made him into “America’s Mayor” and an at least facially credible Presidential candidate. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/37 "2014-12-05T08:20:28Z")
I recall there was a 9/11 related scandal in the UK, a publicist in the government sent out an email that basically said “if we have any bad news to break, today’s the day to do it” (implying no minor impropriety would get any attention!)…of course, that email became sufficient to cause a scandal. I am sure many events took place in the “shadow” of 9/11 that never received full attention. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956/38 "2014-12-05T11:45:18Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > I recall there was a 9/11 related scandal in the UK, a publicist in the government sent out an email that basically said “if we have any bad news to break, today’s the day to do it” (implying no minor impropriety would get any attention!)…of course, that email became sufficient to cause a scandal. > > I am sure many events took place in the “shadow” of 9/11 that never received full attention. Well remembered. “It’s now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury. Councillors’ expenses?” [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk\_politics/1823120.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1823120.stm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-a-politician-who-was-saved-by-9-11/705956.md?page=1)