Overlooked in the Chandra Levy case:
Gary Condit is an admitted sex criminal

WASHINGTON, DC -- Police who searched U.S. Rep. Gary Condit's apartment on Wednesday looking for clues about the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy have overlooked one important fact: The California Congressman has already publicly admitted that he is a sex criminal.

That's because in Washington, DC, adultery is a crime, punishable by six months in jail and a $500 fine, the Libertarian Party noted today.

"There is no question that Congressman Condit is a sex criminal -- he already confessed when he acknowledged having an affair with Chandra Levy," said the party's national director, Steve Dasbach. "The only question now is whether the Congressman should go to jail for committing this sex crime."

The mysterious disappearance of 24-year-old intern Chandra Levy continued to engulf the nation this week as police scoured Condit's apartment for "telltale signs of a struggle" and suggested the Congressman should take a polygraph test.

Yet police seem oblivious to the fact that when Condit admitted on Friday that he had "a romantic relationship" with Levy, he also confessed to a misdemeanor crime.

That's because in Washington, DC and 27 other states, adultery is against the law, with punishments ranging from a $10 fine to life in prison, said Dasbach. Not only that, but dozens of states prohibit other consensual sex acts such as premarital sex, living together, and oral sex between married couples. For example:

Fortunately, relatively few Americans are punished under these laws, said Dasbach.

"But the fact that such laws exist at all has a chilling effect on Americans, and gives police the power to arbitrarily threaten, harass,and arrest individuals," he said.

However, these sex laws remain on the books, just like laws against murder and kidnapping, noted Dasbach.

"So the real question is: Should a Congressman -- who has sworn to uphold the law -- spend six months in jail for deliberately committing a Washington, DC sex crime?" he asked.

Libertarians have an answer to that question -- and the answer is "no."

In fact, the Condit case is interesting because it illustrates the stark difference between two types of "crimes," said Dasbach: Those that harm others, and those that do not.

"The evidence so far seems to suggest that Chandra Levy may be the victim of kidnapping or murder," he said. "If that's the case, police should continue to work hard to bring her assailant to justice, just as they should for any rape, murder, robbery, and kidnapping case.

"But most consensual adult sexual behavior, whether politicians have make it illegal or not, doesn't harm anyone except perhaps those participating in it. And it's not a proper function of government to protect people from themselves.

"That's why police should continue to search for the person who may have harmed or abducted Chandra Levy -- and not spend one second prosecuting Congressman Condit for the so-called crime of adultery."