WASHINGTON – As Brian McNamee was showing photographs of used syringes and bottles of steroids he claims were used by Roger Clemens to congressional staffers, the pitcher was a few floors above him pleading his case that he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens met with a dozen members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in individual meetings held in their offices. Clemens began about 9 a.m. yesterday and concluded his day with a press conference at 6:30 p.m.
The meetings were requested by Clemens in advance of Wednesday’s hearing before the full committee.
“It was a great day,” Clemens said. “I’m looking forward to Wednesday next week. I’ll see you then.”
Clemens was accompanied by his lawyers, Rusty Hardin and Lanny Breuer. As they made their way around the office building, several fans approached Clemens for autographs. He also signed and posed for photos with several staff members.
As he was doing this, McNamee, his former trainer, was in the offices of the Oversight Committee giving a seven-hour deposition. In that deposition, he turned over photographs of used syringes, bloody gauze pads and bottles of testosterone as well as an empty beer can used to dispose of syringes.
Hardin dismissed this evidence as incredible, calling it “the Hail Mary of a desperate man.”
“I think his reaction to yesterday when they came out with this cockamamie story now was one of relief,” Hardin said. “His feeling was and he’s telling the congressmen: ‘Now you’re seeing who I’m dealing with.’ This reveals McNamee for who he is. He’s kind of relieved now that the world is getting a window into McNamee that before we would only be able to say ourselves.
“McNamee really did us a great favor yesterday as lawyers because he truly revealed what he’s out to do and that’s to destroy Roger.”
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) met with Clemens and described him as relaxed.
“I wanted to make sure that when all the dust settles that he fully understood that baseball players, whether they want to be or not, are role models and that children are looking at them,” Cummings said.
Clemens met with the leaders of the committee, chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and the ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia, at one time.
“I think he’s going to stand by his guns,” Davis said.
Clemens carried a white three-ring binder into each of the meetings. When asked about it, Hardin said they were notes Clemens made about the Mitchell Report.
Clemens will meet with at least two more congressmen today with more meetings possible.
