Clemens Case on Shaky Ground

Roger Clemens’ legal team may not have to work too hard to get the former Yankees star off the hook. Clemens was indicted Thursday on charges of lying to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, but a legal expert says that the matter might never have been Congress’ to investigate in the first place. “Congress didn’t do this investigation to determine whether they needed new drug laws,” said Reginald J. Brown, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush and an associate White House general counsel. “They didn’t do it to determine whether federal agencies were exercising their proper oversight. They did this to figure out whether Clemens or his trainer were telling the truth, and that is arguably not a legislative function. It’s not Congress’s job to hold perjury trials.”