By Kiley Russell
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001; 11:42 a.m. EDT

MODESTO, Calif. –– Rep. Gary Condit said in a letter to constituents that he has made "my share of mistakes" but had nothing to do with the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy.

Breaking his public silence, Condit said in the letter distributed Thursday that pressure to discuss his relationship with Levy, who disappeared from Washington on May 1, has forced him to talk.

"Some suggest that not talking with the media could mean I had something to do with Chandra's disappearance. I did not," Condit wrote.

"I pray that she has not met the same fate as the other young women who have disappeared from the same neighborhood."

Washington police have said repeatedly they have found no link between Levy's disappearance and other missing persons cases in the city.

Condit, 53, did not admit to having had an affair with the 24-year-old intern, but did write, "I hope you also will understand that I am not perfect and I have made my share of mistakes."

He wrote that he did not want to discuss his private life publicly, "but things have gone on long enough." He said tabloids had "turned the tragedy of Chandra's disappearance into a spectacle, and rumors were reported as facts."

He also said that even though he had been publicly silent about the case, "I have answered every single question asked by the police and FBI."

Police interviewed Condit four times. A police source has said that he acknowledged an affair with Levy, but not until the third interview, more than two months after she vanished. Still, police have been adamant in declaring that Condit is not a suspect.

Trying to salvage his political career, Condit also planned to talk later Thursday with ABC News' Connie Chung.

While Condit made no restrictions on what Chung can ask, ABC agreed to air the 30-minute interview unedited. It is to be broadcast at 10 p.m. EDT Thursday.

Condit was interviewed Tuesday by People magazine, which plans to have its story on newsstands Friday. He also will talk to an undisclosed California television station and newspaper as well as Newsweek magazine, according to his spokeswoman, Marina Ein.

Condit has been in virtual seclusion since Levy disappeared, but his aides insist he will seek re-election next year.

He did not mention the 2002 election in the letter but did tell constituents, "I hope our relationships is strong enough to endure all of this."

Reaction to the letter was mixed.

Joe Vasquez, a retired parks worker who was having coffee and doughnuts Thursday morning at Connie's Donuts in Modesto, said he thought the letter would help Condit.

"He probably had an affair with her, but I don't think he had anything to do with her disappearance," Vasquez said. He called Condit "a good representative for the farmers, for everybody here."

But Jerry Bondshu, a Republican who has voted for Condit in the past, said he believes the congressman is a liar.

"As far as I'm concerned, he should have come clean a lot sooner. He's just trying to save his job," he said. "I don't trust him any farther than I can throw him."

In the letter, Condit cited his service to constituents.

"For 30 years as a local Mayor, County Supervisor, State Assemblyman and Congressman, thousands of people have come to me with their personal problems," he wrote. "And each time, people trusted that I would treat their problems with care."

The letter was addressed, "Dear Friends and Neighbors." A note at the bottom said it was paid for by the Condit for Congress organization, not government funds.

More than 200,000 households in Condit's district were to receive the mailing Thursday, Ein said.

"His primary concern is to express his personal pain with what has occurred and, secondarily, to correct the record," she said.