Gary Condit’s image repair strategies: determined denial and differentiation

Abstract

U.S. Congressman Gary Condit came under scrutiny following the disappearance of a Washington intern, Chandra Levy, in May 2001. Suspicions arose about his relationship with Levy, whether he was involved in her disappearance, and how fully he cooperated with the police investigation. In August 2001, Condit broke his silence by releasing an explanatory letter to his constituents and appearing on a nationwide broadcast. Analysis of these texts using an Image Repair Theory framework [Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies: A Theory of Image Restoration Strategies, State University of New York, Albany, 1995] reveals that Condit’s apparent lack of candor, unpersuasive denials, and failure to shoulder responsibility for any mistakes, doomed his efforts to failure. Implications for implementing image repair strategies stemming from this analysis are addressed.