The US Senate Republican leader Mr Trent Lott today urged the congressman embroiled in the search for a missing intern to resign if he had an adulterous relationship with the young woman.
In the first public rebuke by a leading lawmaker, Mr Lott said Mr Gary Condit, the California Democrat at the center of the search for Ms Chandra Levy, had mishandled the case so far by raising additional suspicions and that if allegations of infidelity involving the 24-year-old intern were truehe should step down.
"Infidelity is always unacceptable but particularly when you have an elected official involvedin a position of trust with a young girl, an intern", Mr Lott told the Fox News Sunday program."If these allegations are true, obviously he should resign and if he doesn't, the people of his district probably will not re-elect him".Police say Mr Condit is not a suspect in Levy's disappearance.
Mr Lott, who also insisted not all lawmakers were involved in similar behavior, said he and other leaders of both parties have been reluctant to criticize Mr Condit, a 53-year-old married father of two, as the story has unfolded in the 2-1/2 months since the woman was reported missing.
But he said there was no question "that there are several tragedies involved here, including the crisis for the Levy family as the search for their daughter has stretchedon, and then the Condit situation that just seems to get worse and worse".
As far as Condit's handling of the matter, the senator added: "It doesn't look like it's wise at all and it raises additional suspicions. And now these things of additional affairs that are being alleged, it is unacceptable conduct by anybody".
"All members of Congress don't do it", Mr Lott insisted."And while some people in the media infer that we all do this sort of thing, let me just tellall that are listening, that is not the case".
Assistant D.C. Police Chief Terrance Gainer, also appearing on the program, said the department had yet to receive the privately administered lie detector test taken by Mr Condit.
Attorneys for Mr Condit assert he has cooperated fully and answered questions about key points in the case of Ms Levy, who was last seen April 30th.