Roger Clemens appeared before Congressional investigators yesterday and denied the Mitchell Report’s allegations of steroid use:
WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens emerged from nearly five hours of questioning by congressional investigators Tuesday repeating his denials that he never used steroids or human growth hormone and thanking them for the chance to say so under oath.
Clemens, appearing poised and satisfied with his deposition, also said he looked forward to testifying before the House oversight committee next Wednesday.
“I just want to thank the committee, the staff that I just met with, they were very courteous,” Clemens told reporters in an impromptu 25-second statement after his closed-door deposition. “It was great to be able to tell them what I’ve been saying all along — that I’ve never used steroids or growth hormone. And I look forward to being here, I guess, in this room next week. So, thank you very much. Y’all have a good day.”
Clemens did not take any questions after his statement.
But Clemens is still risking prosecution for perjury if the committee believes his former personal trainer Brian McNamee and the former Senator George J. Mitchell instead of him, legal experts said in interviews.
McNamee told federal investigators and Mitchell last year that he had given Clemens injections of steroids or H.G.H. at least 16 times in 1998, 2000 and 2001. McNamee spoke on the condition that he would not be prosecuted as long as he told the truth. Partly because of that incentive, Mitchell said he believed McNamee and thus named Clemens in 9 pages of a 409-page report on drugs in baseball.
This is either going to end very well for Roger Clemens, or very badly.
February 6th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Things appear to be getting only worse with McNamee’s claim of new evidence. I write about new report and the legal implications at
http://www.marylandlawyerblog.com/2008/02/roger_clemens_steroids_controv.html
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why this guy would wait until Clemens testifes first. It seems like raw spite.