NEW YORK - A lawyer for Brian McNamee called on Congress to demand and make public the recording of a December interview between his client and two private investigators hired by Roger Clemens's attorneys.
The lawsuit filed Sunday by Clemens against his former trainer contains what appears to be an excerpt of the interview, which took place Dec. 12. That was one day before the release of the Mitchell Report, in which McNamee accused Clemens of using steroids and human growth hormone.
"They should ask for the entire tape of the interview back in December. That's the tape they should ask for," Earl Ward, one of McNamee's lawyers, said yesterday. "According to Brian, they tried to get him to recant. Brian said, look, what I told the investigators was the truth."
On Monday, McNamee's lawyers released faxes purportedly signed by Clemens and Andy Pettitte stating that investigators Jim Yarbrough and Billy Belk work for the law firm representing them. They asked that Clemens's attorneys voluntarily release the entire Dec. 12 recording.
Ward said the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has asked Clemens and McNamee to testify Jan. 16, should ask for the recording. If it isn't turned over, Ward said, the committee should subpoena it.
"I think it would be important for Congress to show how consistent Brian has been," Ward said.
Joe Householder, a spokesman for Clemens's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Congress has not yet made a request for the tape.
McNamee, questioned by federal prosecutors, told them last year he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs in 1998, 2000, and 2001. Prosecutors had him repeat those charges to Mitchell. Since the report was issued, Clemens has repeatedly and vehemently denied the allegations.
