FBI Begins Clemens Investigation
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WASHINGTON — The FBI took up the Roger Clemens case yesterday, told by the Justice Department to investigate whether the star pitcher lied when he testified to Congress he never took performance-enhancing drugs.
The FBI’s involvement was announced one day after the leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee told Attorney General Michael Mukasey they weren’t sure whether Clemens told the truth under oath at a February 5 deposition and February 13 public hearing. A probe could result in charges against the seven-time Cy Young Award winner for perjury, making false statements or obstruction of justice. Congress did not ask for a similar investigation of Brian McNamee, the former personal trainer who testified under oath that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone.
“The request to open an investigation on the congressional testimony of Roger Clemens has been turned over to the FBI and will receive appropriate investigative action by the FBI’s Washington field office,” FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman said.
As with Barry Bonds and Marion Jones, Clemens faces scrutiny from federal authorities more for what he said than what he might have done.
Bonds, baseball’s home run king and a seven-time MVP, was indicted in November on perjury and obstruction of justice charges stemming from 2003 grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
Jones, the track and field star who won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, was sentenced in January to six months in prison for lying about using performance enhancers and her role in a check-fraud scam.
Miguel Tejada, the 2002 AL MVP, also is being investigated by the FBI over whether he made false statements to the House committee three years ago. He told congressional investigators he never took performance enhancers and had no knowledge of other players using or talking about steroids.
Clemens testified that he never used steroids or HGH; McNamee testified he injected Clemens with performance-enhancers at least 16 times from 1998–01.
