Former Baseball Great Roger Clemens to Be Indicted for Perjury: Report

[sabra]

Source: CNBC

BREAKING NEWS Former Baseball Great Roger Clemens to Be Indicted for Perjury: Report (Story Developing)

Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/

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more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/sports/baseball/20clemens.html

Clemens to Be Indicted for Perjury in Doping Testimony
Doug Mills/The New York Times

Federal authorities have decided to indict Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, according to two people briefed on the matter.

An announcement is expected later today.

The indictment comes nearly two and half years after Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee testified under oath at a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, directly contradicting each other about whether Clemens had used the banned substances.

The committee held the hearing in February 2008, just two months after McNamee first tied Clemens to the use of the substances in George J. Mitchell’s report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. After Mitchell released the report, Clemens launched an attack on McNamee, saying he made up the allegations.

Federal authorities had McNamee cooperate with federal authorities in 2008 to avoid charging him with steroid distribution.

[damntexdem]

1. Will he plead for Clemens-cy?

;-)

[Roland99]

3. wah-wah-wah-waaaaaahhh...

But, seriously, this should have never been up before the Congress to begin with.

ridiculous theater.

[smiley]

31. +1

for a no-brainer. Why we're even still discussing this after so many years is beyond me. What a waste of taxpayer money.

[underpants]

34. My wife laughed her.... out loud when I read that to her

:rofl:

[madinmaryland]

2. If it was Patrick Fitzgerald, we would still be waiting for the indictment in 2020.

[watrwefitinfor]

14. Only if he was a Republican.

Fitzgerald wastes no time indicting Dems.

Wat

[DJ13]

4. on charges of making false statements to Congress

Wait a minute.

If thats a crime wheres the charges against Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citi, Timothy Geithner, Hank Paulson, Greenspan, and too many Generals to count?

Is this the best use of taxpayer money?

Really?

[metapunditedgy]

5. Justice is a damn fine use of taxpayer money. You're right that more is needed. n/t

[Dr.Phool]

23. How come no charges for when Congress lies to us?

[Downwinder]

24. Remember when Orrin Hatch said,

"How can you expect someone to remember what they said in a speech?" Clarence Thomas hearings.

[WheelWalker]

6. Former? I thought he was still playing.

:shrug: Shows my level of interest, I guess.

[CBGLuthier]

16. No No, they are saying he is now formerly "great."

:-)

[WheelWalker]

26. +1

:toast:

[Historic NY]

7. About time isn't it. Justice delayed is justice denied.

[mike r]

8. It's always about the cover-up...

[Frisbee]

9. Should have invoked his right to the McGwire defense...

"I'm not here to talk about the past."

[cbdo2007]

10. Isn't Bonds supposed to testify soon in his trial??? I wonder if this is a scare tactic to make

sure he tells the truth and admits to his steroid use.

[Psephos]

11. Who effin' cares? It's a manufactured tempest, made by people with more important responsibilities.

I don't support "athletes" doping in any way, but this is right up there with Clinton's blowjobs as a sinkhole for time and money better spent elsewhere.

[Javaman]

21. Exactly right.

Read my response down thread.

[Frank Cannon]

45. +1000

I think it's about time we just assume that all professional sports people are on performance-enhancing drugs and leave it at that. Drugs will be in sports as long as there is $$$$$$$ to be made, and it's simply ridiculous to think otherwise.

[wookie72]

46. Perjury is nothing to sneeze at

Perjury is always an offense regardless of the crime being covered up.

[smirkymonkey]

51. Thank YOU!

For all I care, let them all have steriods (then everything would be even) and stop wasting time and money prosecuting them. I can't BELIEVE this is a federal matter.

How many war criminals and banking crooks do you thing we'll see being prosecuted any time soon?

I can't even get my mind around how stupid this is. :banghead:

[Saturday]

12. And war criminals go free. What a country. nt

[Mnemosyne]

32. +10,000,000,000 n/t KnR

[NYC Liberal]

13. Bush lied to Congress to start a war in which hundreds of thousands have died, but that was OK.

Rove effectively committed treason by outing a CIA agent to the world, including our enemies. He then ignored a Congressional subpoena and openly said "fuck you" to Congress, but there was no threat of indictment or any punishment whatsoever.

:shrug:

That said, Clemens is an idiot and should have just admitted it.

[wookie72]

47. SO...

No one should ever be punished for perjury because Bush got away with it?

[NYC Liberal]

53. No, other way around.

Everyone should be held accountable for breaking the law. Clemens is being held accountable, so Bush and Rove ought to be as well.

[brentspeak]

15. Let's distract the Sheeple, because they're beginning to notice they're being had and ripped off

both by our buddies on Wall Street and the neverending Afghanistan War.

I know! Let's indict Roger Clemens. That'll keep the rabble's attention occupied for awhile.

[Abq_Sarah]

17. Boy, am I glad

Congress doesn't have any other pressing facing them.

[Xithras]

18. I've never understood why people lie to Congress...or the police for that matter.

"I decline to answer that question."

Simple, direct, legal, and prosecution proof. If you did something, don't lie, just don't say anything at all.

Of course, I don't necessarily disagree with all cases of this sort. A number of years ago a childhood friend went to the police with allegations that a relative had sexually abused her and sold nude photos of her. The statutes of limitation had long since expired, but the guy lied about it anyway. As it happened, there was a federal investigator in the room when he did it. They were able to pull enough evidence together to prove that the abuse occurred, so they were able to convict and imprison him for three years for lying to a federal investigator, even though the original crime had long since ceased to be prosecutable. He could have said, "Yep, I did it" and walked away free, but a LIE locked him away for three years.

[provis99]

30. if you decline to answer, you will be cited for contempt of Congress.

Testifying before Congress is a no-win situation.

[Xithras]

33. That's untrue. Many people have done it.

You can be cited for Contempt of Congress if you refuse to respond to a subpeoena, but all Americans have the right to refuse to answer a congresscritters questions under the 5th amendment. You are just required to do it on a question by question basis.

Last year, during the big peanut salmonella outbreak, a Congressional committee called the heads of the company before an investigatory panel. They showed up, but then cited their constitutional right to NOT ANSWER for every single question, even when the questions had nothing to do with the issue they were there for.

You always have the right to decline to answer any question from any police officer or congressperson, and they cannot jail you for doing so.

[LostinVA]

49. Yup -- Fifth Amendment

[Downwinder]

19. The Government sets the example. If the Government is not truthful,

how can any of its citizens be expected to be truthful?

[wookie72]

48. And yet we are.

This is pretty cut-and-dried here. You lie under oath, you should accept the consequences. "Everybody's doing it" is no excuse.

[Javaman]

20. Wonder if he will pitch for the prison league?

While I don't really care for the use of steroids in baseball, I think we have to open our eyes and cut the pollyanna crap when it come to the sport.

The top players all use some sort of "enhancement" one kind or another and to believe otherwise, I have a bridge to sell you.

Plus to expend all sorts of resources and money for the temporary fame of some prosecutors out to make a name for themselves while we have government officials stealing, cheating and lying everyday without some much as a hiccup against them, is the real obscene crime here.

He lies about taking drugs to improve his performance. BIG FUCKING DEAL.

Just one more example of our bi-polar media induced mental disorder over how we laud celebrities than trash them when they turn out to be humans.

We care more about a half witted children's game played by adults then of half witted children masquerading as adults playing acting in our government.

we live in a weird country.

[Po_d Mainiac]

25. What kind of shit BUSH league statement is that...n/t

[Javaman]

27. what does that even mean?

since you didn't care to elaborate, I'm going to assume that you had too much coffee, your dog pooped on your rug or you found out that you really aren't the child of rich industrialist.

[Po_d Mainiac]

28. Common term for *minor leagues* n/t

[Javaman]

29. Thank you mr. obvious, but what does your post mean?

again, you didn't elaborate, you just insulted.

So what is your point?

[Dr.Phool]

22. 8,000 war criminals running around. Corruption everywhere.

I feel so much safer with Roger Clemmons off the street.

It's a good thing Congress didn't ask Brett Favre if he was retired.

[AndyTiedye]

37. And No BP Exec Has Been Charged With Anything

[sofa king]

35. Okay, I see we're all in agreement, here.

But one possible silver lining to this is that once the feds remember how easy it is to bust people for lying to Congress, maybe they'll go back and look over their records and see if there aren't, oh, four dozen or so Presidential appointees from the years 2001-2009 who also blatantly lied to Congress about more important things... like prescription drug benefits, global warming, the costs of the war, the intelligence failures behind 9/11 and the Iraq War, and several consecutive life sentences more.

[Ter]

36. The Federal Government lies to us daily

Why do they get pissed when we lie to them? F them.

[OmahaBlueDog]

38. Roger Clemens indicted in steroid case

Source: AP via Yahoo

WASHINGTON (AP)—Roger Clemens was vehement: “Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH,” he told a House committee in 2008. Now, instead of the Hall of Fame, baseball’s seven-time Cy Young winner could go to prison after being indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for allegedly lying to Congress.

The case writes a new chapter in one of baseball’s worst scandals, the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs in the 1990s and early 2000s, and leaves Clemens’ legacy in jeopardy.

The six-count indictment alleges that Clemens obstructed a congressional inquiry with 15 different statements made under oath, including denials that he had ever used steroids or human growth hormone.

Former Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, the top Republican on the House panel at the time of Clemens’ testimony, called it “a self-inflicted wound.”


Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ArZP40u.nvOt0Jqp1NHGRRo5nYcB?slug=ap-clemens-steroids

[texastoast]

39. I read about that today

Someone in Houston bought a huge billboard in Houston during the month of testimony that said "We Support Roger Clemens."

I feel sorry for his kids.

[OmahaBlueDog]

40. I guess my question is why Clemens and not, for example, Palmeiro

Especially after the whole finger pointing denial

[texastoast]

41. I guess it was that Clemens was so adamant

He's a big, physically powerful man and attorneys and politicians generally are not. It probably gave them a little rush to file the indictments. It may not all be over yet. There might be more to shake out of this. I haven't kept up lately.

[Wilms]

42. He did whaaaat?

Oh the inhumanity.

[wookie72]

50. So get off your ass and call Bugliosi

He's willing to prosecute them. I wouldn't object.

But should we suspend all laws that Bush broke until he's indicted for them?

[demosincebirth]

43. Bonds should be next.

[flvegan]

44. Thank the GODS that Congress, et al are after the real criminals.

Retired baseball player on the hook for allegedly using dope. War crimes? Meh, not so much. Look away...off the table. It's in the past.

Oh, wait...

[pinniped]

52. Lesson #1: don't ever talk to these congrass assholes that lie, cheat, and steal for a living.

.