Roger Dodger vs. the Feds

Democrats and Republicans on the House Oversight Committee jointly agreed to ask the FBI to investigate whether baseball legend Roger Clemens lied during a Feb. 13 hearing about whether he used performance-enhancing drugs—but that doesn't mean the partisan divisions on display at the hearing have been resolved. In an 18-page memo summarizing their investigation, Democratic staffers on the committee raised fresh doubts about Clemens's credibility. Among other issues, the document noted that investigators could find little evidence and even fewer witnesses to substantiate Clemens's claim that Brian McNamee, his former trainer, and others had injected him repeatedly with vitamin B-12 and the painkiller lidocaine.

Although House Republicans signed on to the demand for an FBI probe, they did not endorse the Democratic staff dossier. One GOP official, who asked for anonymity when discussing committee deliberations, said that contradictory testimony by Clemens's former teammate and close friend Andy Pettitte justified an FBI probe—but that some other accusations in the Democrats' dossier were "extraneous" and "unsupported." Some Capitol Hill Republicans remain skeptical about whether the hearing turned up enough evidence to successfully prosecute Clemens for perjury, though they acknowledge that federal investigators may already have (or could gather) additional evidence to solidify the case.

The Feds are trying to clear up questions about who will do the investigating. Despite speculation that the case ultimately will be turned over to the San Francisco G-men who have pursued steroids-related probes of Barry Bonds and other prominent athletes, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told NEWSWEEK that control of the case was likely to remain with the FBI's Washington office. In a written statement, Clemens's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said he welcomed the probe because it would be conducted according to rules that "very specifically level the playing field."

© 2008