Photo of Roger Clemens looking at Brian McNamee by AP/Susan Walsh
Roger Clemens asked for a chance to testify in Congress and now he had better be prepared to face the consequences of that choice. Congressmen Henry Waxman and Tom Davis have sent a letter to the Attorney General asking him to investigate if Clemens committed perjury or made false statements in his testimony to the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Among the questions raised are contradictions between testimony from Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Brian McNamee’s. In an 18-page memorandum prepared by House staffers, seven different instances where Clemens may have lied are presented, including the infamous pool party and his wife’s use of HGH.
Now Clemens’ fate is in the hands of the same men who led the BALCO investigation, successfully indicted Barry Bonds for perjury and sent Marion Jones to prison. Clemens could face 18-24 months in jail if convicted of perjury. That may ultimately depend on Pettitte, whose testimony is the key to this case and he will surely be called to face investigators again. For the Yankees, it's an unwelcome distraction for an important player. For Pettitte, it puts him in the uncomfortable position of having to testify against a friend, “I think you all know how I feel about it. I was prepared for it happening but I hate it.”
As for Clemens, he isn’t saying anything for once. And that's a good thing, lest he offer up another choice comment like this, “I think everybody is thinking that I’m sitting around with my hands buried in my head or something. I don’t get where everybody is coming from.”
