WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers on Wednesday sought a federal probe into whether baseball great Roger Clemens lied to the U.S. Congress when he denied claims by his former trainer that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers on Wednesday sought a federal probe into whether baseball great Roger Clemens lied to the U.S. Congress when he denied claims by his former trainer that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
The Democratic chairman and ranking Republican on the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee made the request in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
"We believe that his testimony in a sworn deposition on February 5, 2008, and at a hearing on February 13, 2008, that he never used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone, warrants further investigation," wrote chairman Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, and Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican.
!ADVERTISEMENT!Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, replied: "The committee's decision is unwarranted and not supported by the facts."
"Roger will continue to fight these false allegations with every ounce of strength he has," Hardin said in a statement.
A Justice Department spokesman said only that the request for an investigation would be considered.
If found to have lied to Congress, Clemens could face up to five years in prison and his reputation as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball would be stained.
Clemens and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, clashed under oath at the House committee's February 13 hearing. Clemens insisted he had never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and McNamee repeatedly said that he had.
At the hearing, Clemens was confronted with a sworn statement by former teammate and longtime friend Andy Pettitte that Clemens told him in 1999 or 2000 that he had used human growth hormone.
"I think he (Pettitte) misremembers," Clemens told lawmakers.
McNamee's claims were first made in a report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball called for by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and conducted by former Senate Democratic Leader George Mitchell.
The report, released in December, cited more than 80 former and current players -- including Clemens -- as suspected users of such illegal drugs.
Waxman and Davis held a hearing after Clemens vigorously denied the allegations in the Mitchell report and filed a defamation of character suit against McNamee.
COURT OF LAW
Clemens' attorney, Hardin, said, "Fortunately, we now move from the court of public opinion, where there are no rules, to the court of law where the rules very specifically level the playing field."
In their letter to Mukasey, Davis and Waxman wrote: "We are not in a position to reach a definitive judgment as to whether Mr. Clemens lied to the committee."
"Our only conclusion is that significant questions have been raised about Mr. Clemens's truthfulness and that further investigation by the Department of Justice is warranted. We ask that you initiate such an investigation," they wrote.
Clemens, 45, has a 354-181 record with 4,672 strikeouts during his 24-year major league career. He has won a record seven Cy Young awards as the best pitcher in his league and is one of only four pitchers to amass at least 4,000 strikeouts.
Clemens played for the New York Yankees last season and has not said whether he plans to return this year or retire.
(Additional reporting by Steve Ginsburg and Jim Vicini; editing by Doina Chiacu)
