Roger Clemens is on Capitol Hill today testifying before Congress:
WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens arrived on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to give a sworn deposition that he hopes will help restore his reputation as the most decorated pitcher in baseball history.
He also risks being charged with a crime if the House oversight committee does not believe him.
Mr. Clemens, accompanied by two lawyers, paused briefly in a wood-paneled congressional hearing room and said it looked beautiful, then walked to the back offices of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to give a deposition. He is expected to be back in the same hearing room on Feb. 13 to testify in public.
Mr. Clemens, 45, wore a pinstriped gray suit and a tie and looked relaxed. He said “Good morning” to a crowd of journalists, but had no other public comment.
The committee is investigating Mr. Clemens’s denial of accusations made in the Mitchell report that he used performance-enhancing substances.
Mr. Clemens’s deposition will be his first sworn statement on the matter. He could face a referral for criminal charges if the committee thinks he is not telling the truth. Still, he has remained defiant, and has insisted that he never used steroids or human-growth hormone, as the report alleges.
His appearance on Feb. 13 before the full committee is also expected to be under oath. Two former teammates who have already given statements to the committee staff, and two admitted drug distributors, have also been invited to appear before the panel at that time.
Mr. Clemens is the focus of the investigation and hearing because of his very public denial of the assertions made about him in the Mitchell report, which the committee is using to pressure Major League Baseball to impose tougher drug testing arrangements.
And I still want an explanation of why this is Congress’s business to begin with.
