Live blogging the Congressional hearings from inside
As you'll see below, I'm going to be blogging live from Capitol Hill throughout the hearings. I'll keep adding to this file, so feel free to keep hitting your refresh button.
2:40 p.m.
The hearing just ended ... without any conclusion. To be determined at a later time, I guess.
2:31 p.m.
Going back to the woman who showed the photographs of Clemens over the years, I just received an e-mail from someone who is fairly educated on steroids. He said the pictures don't prove anything because Clemens wasn't using the drugs meant to build you up, such as Deca-Durabol.
2:15 p.m.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) just read from another portion of Pettitte's testimony. Pettitte says in 2003 or 2004 that McNamee told Pettitte he gave steroids to Clemens.
Cummings had a great line. He said if he came in here with a clean slate trying to decide who between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee telling the truth, he'd go with Andy Pettitte.
Clemens, meanwhile, continues to drive home the point that he's astonished Pettitte never told him he used HGH. This is one instance in which it would have been nice to have Pettitte here.
Did Pettitte ever tell Clemens he used HGH? That's a question Pettitte surely will be asked when he reports to spring training.
BTW, good for Pettitte for telling the truth.
Cummings closed by saying to Clemens, "It's hard to believe you, sir. It's hard to say that. You're one of my heros. But it’s hard to believe you."
Surely many of Clemens fans agree...
2:08 p.m.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) asked McNamee if he plans to write a book or make money off this. He said no.
Clemens read a statement from his wife, Debbie, who is sitting behind him in the hearing room. She admitted to taking HGH from McNamee, and claims Roger said, "Let's back off this."
Foxx had a staffer hold up four photos of Clemens of his physique from 1995 and she came to the conclusion that his body hasn't changed over the years. Well, that solves this.
(Foxx is a Republican, BTW.)
2:07 p.m.
Yikes. Rep. Mark E. Souder (R-Indiana) wants to investigate whether "It is what it is" is a New Yorker's way of saying "I told the truth."
1:59 p.m.
At this point it should be interesting if any of the remaining Congressmen come up with interesting and unique questions.
(We still haven't heard from Edolphus Towns, the Congressman who said last week he believed Clemens after hearing only one of the two parties.)
Anyway, we've had two Republicans in a row. Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-Georgia) and Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-Calif.), and they've placed their focus on McNamee, as is expected by Republicans by now. But there has been nothing original asked.
1:45 p.m.
Rep. Bruce L. Braley (D-Iowa) just basically gave a shoutout to his son who's sick at home watching the hearing on ESPN.
1:41 p.m.
In response to a question that had nothing to do with the World Baseball Classic, Clemens somehow goes into a rant about how he was proud to wear USA on his jersey.
Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tennessee), following the Republican party line, thanked Clemens for his speech.
1:35 p.m.
Here's a noteworthy development with regards to Clemens' potential obstruction of justice.
Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Illinois) asked Scheeler, the Mitchell lawyer, "is it usual" for defendents to reach out to potential witnesses like Clemens did with his former nanny.
Scheeler said, "No, that is not usual."
He said typically the lawyer will do so, if they wanted to investigate the witness' testimony.
"What is unusual is to have the direct witness or the principal reach out," he said.
1:20 p.m.
Rep. Tom Davis, not surprisingly, is trying to make Clemens reaching out to the nanny in a good light.
1:12 p.m.
So the most interesting aspects of this so far, off the top of my head, in no particular order ...
Clemens' nanny says Clemens was at the Canseco house, while Clemens says he wasn't ...
The nanny also says Clemens contacted her prior to handing over her name and number to the committee, giving the appearance of "impropriety" ...
The Republicans are mostly going after McNamee while the Democrats go after Clemens. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Virginia) is the most obvious in this regard ...
There was an abscess on Clemens' butt in 1998 that he was treated for by Blue Jays trainers and doctors. The committee got the medical records and MRI (which Clemens' camp took forever to turn over) and a medical expert who studied the records told the committee it looks as if it came from a steroid injection, not a B-12 injection ...
Davis, the Republican, immediately protested that a medical expert told the Clemens camp otherwise, which (a) is not surprising because would the Clemens camp have turned over a medical expert who did not support their claim, and (b) this was the first time Davis showed he was completely in the Clemens camp ...
This also explains why Davis refused yesterday to discuss his comments in yesterday's Newsday. Obviously when he told Newsday that Pettitte's account backed McNamee "in most details," it was damning for Clemens. No doubt he didn't want to be the one to reveal that ...
Pettitte told the committee that he also took HGH in 2004. In a statement released by his lawyers to The AP prior to the hearing, he said his father bought it for him and he injected himself with it ...
Pettitte also testified that Clemens told him he used HGH in 1999, and in 2005 when Pettitte asked him what he would say if a reporter asked him about that, Clemens told him he was mistaken. But Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) took Clemens to task on that point, saying Pettitte knew that he was implicating one of his friends under oath. Clemens stuck to his story that Pettitte did not remember the conversations correctly...
Clemens may have committed perjury with regards to his wife's use of HGH. Clemens, in his deposition, said he never discussed HGH with McNamee. But later on he says that after his wife was injected with HGH by McNamee, he called McNamee and had a "heated" conversation about HGH. But didn't he say under oath that he never spoke to McNamee about HGH??????
Another potential perjury point with Clemens is with the Mitchell investigation, and whether he knew they wanted to speak to him. He told 60 Minutes his lawyers advised him not to talk to Mitchell. He agreed under oath he said that. But in his deposition he said his agents/lawyers never told him Mitchell requested to speak with him.
12:56 p.m.
They're taking a 15-minute break now...
12:54 p.m.
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia) asked Clemens why he would keep McNamee as his trainer if he had done all the bad things Clemens claims he has done.
Clemens never answered the question directly (something he's been known for even when he's not under oath). She did, however, end by saying directly to Clemens, "I'm sure you're going to heaven."
Clemens did not look pleased.
12:38 p.m.
Clemens appears to have committed obstruction of justice.
Here's what happened: Brian McNamee said the one person who could corroborate his story that Clemens was in fact at the party is Clemens' former nanny, a woman whom McNamee could only remember as "Lilly."
The committee asked Clemens' camp to pass along her name and number. It took the Clemens' camp several days to do so.
When the committee spoke with the former nanny, she revealed that on Sunday Clemens called her for the first time since 2001 and invited her to his house. She said Clemens told her, "The reason you don't remember that party is because I wasn't there."
Waxman said, "It sure raises an appearance of impropriety ... This action means there will always be a question of whether you were trying to influence a witness."
While Waxman pressed Clemens on why he would talk with her prior to the committee, Clemens' lawyers jumped out of their seats, said it was there idea to investigate a witness' testimony, objected the line of questioning and called this "innuendo."
Waxman reiterated that the rules of this type of hearing is that lawyers cannot address the Congressman.
But the damage clearly had been done.
Not only does it appear Clemens was at the Canseco house -- Lilly the nanny said he was there, and that she and his family stayed overnight at the house -- it is now clear Clemens also reached out to a witness intentionally before the committee. For what reason???
12:35 p.m.
Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Miss.) just asked Clemens what uniform he's going to wear in the Hall of Fame. Easily the most offensive statement by a Congressman so far. This is neither the time nor place, obviously.
Never mind the fact that Clemens' Hall of Fame career is very much in jeopardy because of the allegations that Congress is supposed to be discussing today.
12:31 p.m.
After learning from Waxman that the depositions of Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch will be made public, Rep. Mark E. Souder (R-Indiana) asked the public to read Knoblauch's testimony because he said he had been wanting to come clean for some time.
12:20 p.m.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-New York) just identified herself as a New Yorker and thanked Clemens for his professional accomplishments. Yuck.
Maloney, however, just caught Clemens in another potential perjury moment. She got Clemens to agree that he told Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes that he did not speak to former Senator George Mitchell because he was advised by his lawyers not to.
But in his deposition with the committee investigators, Clemens said six times that he did not know Mitchell wanted to speak to him. "I had no idea Senator Mitchell wanted to speak to me," he said in his deposition.
Clemens, when presented with this contradicting statements, reiterated that he did not know Mitchell wanted to talk to him. She asked him if he felt his agents did him a disservice by keeping Mitchell's request to speak to him, Clemens said they have.
12:14 p.m.
Rep. John L. Mica (R-Florida) just wasted his five minutes.
12:09 p.m.
Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (D-Penn.) is now interviewing Charles Scheeler, an attorney who works for former Senator George Mitchell's law firm. Kanjorski is focusing on the party at the Canseco house.
11:53 a.m.
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass) just revealed that, based on the testimony of a leading expert in MRIs, an abscess that was on Clemens' buttocks in 1998 is "more capatible with Winstrol injections" and not a B-12 shot, as Clemens insists.
McNamee states he injected Clemens with steroids, which led to the abscess.
(The Blue Jays handed over medical records to the committee, and Clemens' attorney on Monday handed over an MRI of that abscess after pressure from the committee, Lynch said.)
Rep. Tom Davis came to Clemens' defense, saying Lynch's question was out of line. Davis' defense of Clemens is interesting; it's seems he is taking Clemens' side.
He called Lynch's line of questioning a "lynching," and he wanted to state for the record that the Clemens' attorney had their own medical expert look at the record and they came to the conclusion that it was not the result of steroids.
Of course the medical expert contacted by the Clemens' camp would come to that conclusion...
The important point to note here is that the medical expert contacted by the committee believes the abscess was a result of a steroid injection.
11:36 a.m.
Now Rep. Dan Burton (R-Indiana) is pushing McNamee on the Canseco party, why he kept the syringes, vials, etc. Burton really went after McNamee and his history of lies. "He is a titan in baseball, and you, all these lies, are destroying him," Burton said to McNamee.
There is a theme here. The Democrats are going after Clemens. The Republicans are going after McNamee. Make your own conclusions.
11:32 a.m.
It appears Clemens has committed perjury in his answers to Rep. John F. Tierney (D-Mass.) regarding conversations with McNamee regarding HGH.
Clemens, in his deposition under oath, said he had never had any conversations with McNamee about HGH. But later on in his deposition he admits his wife, Debbie, received HGH from McNamee. Clemens, according to his deposition, was upset to have learned of that that he called McNamee that night and had a "heated" conversation with McNamee about his wife's HGH use.
So, Tierney said, Clemens was not telling the truth when he initially said he did not have any conversations with McNamee about HGH.
11:23 a.m.
Davis' line of questioning sounds as if it's coming from a script from Rusty Hardin.
11:12 a.m.
Rep. Tom Davis (R-Virginia) is focusing his questioning on McNamee, not Clemens.
He referred to one story in which McNamee testified that Clemens bled through his pants after an injection. McNamee said Clemens told him at the time he started buying band-aids for that reason, in part because Mike Stanton saw the bloody pants.
Davis also brought up the Jose Canseco party in June 1998 in which McNamee insists Clemens was there, but Jose Canseco said in an affidavit that Clemens was not there. Canseco's then wife, Jessica, also filed an affidavit saying Clemens wasn't there.
McNamee said he has two distinct memories of Clemens from that party.
11:03 a.m.
Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) is doing a commendable job of pressing Clemens on the Pettitte conversation and contradictions. Clemens just keeps repeating that Pettitte "misremembers." Cummings said Pettitte in his deposition was asked if he had any doubt that Clemens told him he used HGH. "I mean, no, he told me that," Pettitte said.
Cummings asked Clemens if he thought Pettitte would claim a friend used HGH under oath if he wasn't sure. Clemens' response: "I think he misremembers." Clemens also admitted, "Andy would have no reason to" lie.
If Cummings' questioning is any indication of how this hearing will go, Clemens is in for a long, long afternoon.
10:52 a.m.
Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) is the first Congressman to ask questions and he is getting right to the biggest question -- the Pettitte-Clemens disagreement over a HGH conversation.
"I believe Andy to be a very honest fellow, yes," Clemens said.
Cummings said it was hard for Pettitte to talk about Clemens' drug-use, saying Pettitte felt caught in middle between two friends (Clemens and McNamee).
When Pettitte was asked about why he would handle giving up a friend, he said, according to Cummings, "I have to tell you all the truth and one day I have to give an account to God, and not to nobody else, about what I have done in my life. that's why i shared all this stuff with y'all. Stuff I wouldn't want to discuss with y'all."
When Clemens is presented with this, he said Pettitte doesn't remember the conversation correctly. "I believe Andy has misheard, Mr. Congressman, on his comments about myself using HGH, which never happened," Clemens said. He said he thinks the conversation Pettitte is referring to is about a conversation Clemens believes they had about a television show regarding HGH and its effect on older people.
10:43 a.m.
I don't believe Roger Clemens, when reading his opening statement, mentioned the negative stuff about Brian McNamee that was on his statement handed out to reporters. Interesting. McNamee is now reading his opening statement. He looks nervous, understandably. Clemens, when he gave his speech, had a very strong and stern tone to his voice, and it should be interesting to see if he can keep his temper in check throughout the questioning.
10:41 a.m.
What did Rep. Tom Davis (R-Virginia) exactly mean when he said in his opening statement, "...to offer someone of Roger Clemens' stature the chance to tell us his story..." Shouldn't everyone be offered the chance to give their story, regardless of their 'stature'?
10:37 a.m.
Waxman just revealed the secret affidavit given by Pettitte.
Pettitte claims Roger Clemens told him in 1999 that he used HGH. He said the conversation took place in Clemens' gym. Pettitte said Clemens told him HGH "helped the body recover." In 2005 Pettitte asked Clemens at the Astros' spring-training complex how he would respond to reporters if he asked him if he used HGH. Clemens said, "What do you mean?"
"I reminded him he told me he used hgh," Pettitte said. "Roger Clemens responded by saying I must have misunderstood him. He claimed it was wife Debbie who used HGH. I said, 'Oh ok,' or woids to that effect not because i agreed but because I didn't want to argue with him."
Pettitte's wife, Laura, also gave a affidavit confirming that Andy told her about both of those conversations.
Waxman said it would be impossible that Clemens was telling the truth about his wife in that conversation because Clemens and McNamee agree that Debbie Clemens was injected with HGH in 2003. So that's a big strike for Clemens.
On the topic of Clemens' wife, Waxman said McNamee injected Debbie because Roger Clemens asked him to. Roger Clemens said he did not know about it.
Clemens, by the way, said the conversation with Pettitte about HGH never took place, Waxman said.
10:25 a.m.
Andy Pettitte's lawyers released a statement regarding his usage of HGH in 2004 to The Associated Press right before the start of the hearings.
“Andy had not previously mentioned this usage because he acquired the substance from his father, who had obtained it without Andy’s knowledge in an effort to overcome his very serious health problems, which have included serious cardiac conditions. Andy did not want his father, whom he deeply respects and loves, to be brought into this matter and sought to shield him from publicity. In both cases, Andy used HGH in a misguided effort to recover from injury.”
10:21 a.m.
Waxman said his initial conclusion after their internal investigation that they should cancel this hearing and publish a written report on the depositions and affidavits. But Waxman said Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, pushed him for a public hearing.
10:19 a.m.
McNamee, according to Waxman, said he injected Clemens 20 times with performance-enhancers. In the Mitchell Report, McNamee said he injected Clemens 16 times.
10:18 a.m.
Wow! Waxman just said Andy Pettitte told Congress in his deposition he also took human growth hormone (injected by himself) in 2004. He said he never told anyone outside of his family. (Pettitte also confirmed McNamee injected him with HGH in 2002.)
10:16 a.m.
Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) reveals that Chuck Knoblauch confirmed to Congress in his deposition that Brian McNamee's account that he injected Knoblauched with human growth hormone was accurate.
10:13 a.m.
According to a copy of Brian McNamee's opening statement, he will say he understated the number of times he injected Roger Clemens (and Chuck Knoblauch) with performance-enhancing drugs.
"I guess maybe I wanted to downplay the extent of their use because I felt I was betraying theplayers I had trained. In the following weeks and months, I have had the opportunity to think about these events and consider the specific drug regimens we used. As a result, I now believe that the number of times I injected Roger Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch was actually greater than I initially stated."
10:10 a.m.
And we begin...
10:08 a.m.
Clemens just walked into the hearing room. He is standing behind the witness desk, essentially posing for the dozens of photographs snapping shots.
10:07 a.m.
There are two seats reserved in the room for "Pettitte." Odd.
10:02 a.m.
In case you are wondering, Clemens and McNamee will not be sitting next to each other. They will be separated by a lawyer for former Senator majority leader George Mitchell, who will be testifying on behalf of Mitchell's investigation.
9:55 a.m.
Roger Clemens is walking through the hallways right now followed by a group of his lawyers. He is smiling. See below for Roger Clemens' opening statement.
9:53 a.m.
IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky declined to comment before the hearings when approached by a Newsday reporter.
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Comments (20)
I've always been a huge Pettitte fan... but if reports are true, I think he's a rat.
Ha ha, can Roger keep his temper? I think he can because he's not on speed at the moment. I truly believe he didn't use much steroids but that he was on uppers and speed, as other players have said about him. This is what caused his raging tantrums. I think we need to start a push to ban him from the new Yankee Stadium - permanently. Sorry Suzy.
A glorified he said, she said. Who cares? Wake me up when something tangible happens.
Davis "seems" to be defending Clemens? It "seems" that Davis has an earpiece that is linked directly to Rusty Hardin! The same thing goes to Burton as well. I guess Rajah must be a Republican or big Republican contributor :-)
You can call Pettitte a rat all you want, but would you go to jail for a guy who put you in the position of being called before congress? You can have all the romantic visions of what friends are supposed to be about and how you'd die or do time for your friend, but would your friend allow you to be put in that position in the first place?
Pettitte was under oath. He told the truth. This is not the Soprano's, he had to tell the truth.
A rat? Oh please, nice prison mentality, Chris, the bloods called - they're ready for your initation.
What kind of person would jeopardize their family helping a "friend" by lying under oath.
Great coverage Jim.
Thanks for reading...
www.lottodrawn.com - Loto 6/49, 5/40, Joker, strategies, plans.
Seriously, what a sheethead. Pettite was asked questions under oath by the Feds. He is a bad guy for not lying? If that's not a joke you sicken me.
Hey, I believe Clemens is guilty and not only does Pettitte and Knockbloch claims prove it but how about the reaction to what happened to his wife. He claims that she was injected behind his back, but he does nothing when he finds out. On top of that he continues to be friends with McNamarra.
Heck, if that was me I would have gone crazy on him. If I ever found out someone did that to my wife behind my back I would totally loose it.
Give me a break Clemens! You are so freakin arrogant that you actually believe yourself.
To the person that said, "he wasn't taken the steroids meant to build you up"...PLEASE SHUT UP. All anabolic steroids are meant to INCREASE protien synthesis...this accounts for a healing and building of tissue, hence the reason they are called ANABOLIC steroids.
People like this should NOT be allowed to give their uneducated opinion. Jim why oh why do you continue to listen or report WRONG opinions or statements?
The FACT is however, that you can not tell who uses steroids by how they are built or if they put on weight. I gained 65 pounds from 16 years old to 17 years old with lots of food and great training, NATURALLY.....and I am a legit athlete.
remember John Macenroe and Laundis used steroids and both are about a buck 65 soaking wet.
regardless...soon athletes will all be allowed to have the same rights all americans do and that means using hormone therapy to increase well being, mood, healing and wel being.
I want a damn World Series already!!!
Bring back LoDuca!! Steriods or not, this sucks!!
Mets Must Win 2008 !!!
Please, all of you stop hating. This guy did nothing wrong. Sure he took steroids. But who wouldn't for 28 MILLION dollars!
This is America baby!
Home of the lawless rich free, and disciplined working poor. Like you wouldn't lie to a congressional hearing too. The man has the HALL OF FAME riding on this !!
Give him a break, he deserves it and all the money he takes from fans supporting him.
My boy is laughing with his uppity rich lawyers all the way home in their private jet!
And your boy McNamee is broke as a joke, thats why he is spilling the beans, he got nothing. Zero. He did not pass go.
Hey Rogerfan, in response to your post. Dude, didn't you hear about some of the people in attendance? They were there to decide if Clemens commited perjury. Now I will be the first to admit that he probably will get off but his arrogance may cost him some jail time.
He could have admitted it and went on with his life. He wants the hall of fame so bad and this is what he would do to get there. The joke now is that he probably won't go to the hall of fame and could go to jail on top of it.
Sorry, in the beginning I was giving him the benefit of the doubt but now with what I heard he should pay. Kids need to see that if someone does something like this there is a huge price to pay.
Again, sorry but any man who throws his wife under the bus like he did is no man at all!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misremembered
hey Baumbach, what's with this remark:
"Foxx had a staffer hold up four photos of Clemens of his physique from 1995 and she came to the conclusion that his body hasn't changed over the years. Well, that solves this.
(Foxx is a Republican, BTW)"
How come you didn't parenthetically tell us that "Cummings is a Democrat BTW"??
This congressman said this, that congresswoman says that... yeesh, blog about something meaningful for a chance - instead of the desperate "window dressing" of an incompetent bunch of knotheads in Washington
Some society we have become ... A guy who tells the truth and takes responsibility for his actions is labeled "a rat." Andy told the truth and assumed responsibility even before he was sworn to do so. Why? Because it was the right thing to do. Are ball players role models? Some should be. Andy should be. Bravo, Andy Pettite. Bravo!
i honestly believe that both stories are a bit fishy, but if Roger is innocent its going to be very hard for him to earn his respect back and alot of people will question him as years progress. Brian McNamee has proof that is very vague unless he cant prove it with a DNA test that Roger Clemens actually took steriods then all this i heard conversations "he said, she said" is all a bunch of bullshit and hes just trying to bring Roger down and well i say if Roger has nothing to hide which i clearly think he doesnt he's gonna keep on fighting to get his respect back that he earned, after watching constant videos of the hearings and watching their facial expressions Roger looked guilty when it came to the argument to Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens conversation but Brian sounded very guilty when he claimed Roger took steriods. Roger Clemens is being prosecuted by some guy who just wants to go out and get Roger because Roger earned more, i think overall by not even listening to either one Roger or Brian, i would think Brian is guilty hands down. The guy really looks like if hes sneaking crap into the courtroom trying to bring down a baseball star like that and hes lucky the law protects wimps like him or Roger would have beat the living shit out of him so i say: Roger is innocent and lets just move on
A.D.3 - if you think McNamee is a wimp ... you've been fooled by the wire-rimmed glasses and the oversized suit his lawyers dressed him up in. If you think "Roger would have beat the living **** out of him" he would have done so already, if he could have, it seems that how pampered athletes like Clemens try to solve all their problems.
In the end, if you think McNamee is not credible, and there's a lot of evidence to cast doubt on that, how do you explain away Pettitte? And the fact that he and Knoblauch confirm the allegations? You then have to believe that McNamee lied only about Clemens, his most famous client.
And by the way, there is this great invention called the period, you might want to familiarize yourself with it. That was tough to read.
Any ideas as to the partisan split? I was incredible how for the most part it was down party lines. If it was due to the fact that it was well-known that President Bush called Clemens to offer his support ..... well then we are in a whole lot more trouble than I thought.