Roger Clemens indicted on charges of making false statements

Roger Clemens indicted on charges of making false statements
By Cindy Boren
Washington Post
August 19, 2010

Roger Clemens has been indicted on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

In February 2008, Clemens and Brian McNamee, his former trainer, contradicted one another in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about whether Clemens had used banned substances.

The hearing came after McNamee had linked Clemens to banned substances in George Mitchell's report on baseball players' use of performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens alleged that McNamee was lying; McNamee reached a deal with federal authorities to avoid prosecution for steroid distribution.

"Whether it's a Member of the Cabinet, a CEO or a professional athlete, if there is evidence that someone has intentionally misled a Congressional investigative Committee, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible," Kurt Bardella, spokesperson for Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), ranking membr of the House committee, said in a statement. "There is no mechanism to justify lying to Congress."