The IRS Cares What Clemens Has to Say
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IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky has a special interest in the hearing for seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. Novitzky has been at the helm of a five-and-a-half-year investigation into steroids in professional sports including drug use in Major League Baseball.
Novitsky had expected to hear testimony from New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, former Mets trainer Kirk Radomski, and former Yankee and Twins player Chuck Knoblauch at the congressional hearing earlier today. However, earlier in the week, Committee chairman Henry Waxman announced that the only folks who would take the stand would be New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, former Clemens trainer Brian McNamee and Charlie Scheeler of former Senate majority leader George Mitchell’s staff.
The hearing will focus on allegations made in the Mitchell report (downloadable on the the MLB site as a pdf - be aware that it is 409 pages!) by McNamee that he injected Clemens with performance enhancing drugs.
Despite the hoopla, Clemens’ lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin has told the New York Times that it would be “brazen” and “unbelievable” if IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky attends the hearing.
“If he ever messes with Roger, Roger will eat his lunch,” Hardin was quoted as saying.
I’m not even sure what that means. Good ol’ Rusty, I suppose.
Clemens, for his part, continues to hammer away that “I’ve never used steroids or growth hormone.”
If the committee feels that Clemens is lying, he can be charged with perjury. If he isn’t, it will be up to the public to determine whether all is forgiven.
But in the midst of all of the this, why an IRS agent? The Department of Justice assigns an IRS agent to steroids cases because they often involve money laundering.
What do you think? Is he lying?
