Congress on Wednesday asked the Justice Department to investigate whether baseball star Roger Clemens lied to a House committee about using performance enhancing drugs.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman and ranking Republican Tom Davis said Clemens' testimony that he never used anabolic steroids and human growth hormone contradicts the sworn testimony of former trainer Brian McNamee and former teammate Andy Pettitte.
"Mr. Clemens' testimony is also contradicted by the sworn deposition testimony and affidavit submitted to the committee by Andrew Pettitte, a former teammate of Mr. Clemens, whose testimony and affidavit reported that Mr. Clemens had admitted to him in 1999 or 2000 that he had taken human growth hormone."
McNamee told federal prosecutors that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone more than a dozen times from 1998 to 2001.
Pettitte, a close friend of Clemens, said in a sworn statement that Clemens told him in 1999 or 2000 that he had used human growth hormone.
Clemens has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Clemens could face up to five years in prison if he is found to have lied to Congress at a Feb. 13 hearing. Clemens and McNamee gave contridictory testimony at the hearing. Clemens insisted he had never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and McNamee repeatedly said that he had.
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