By Sean Mussenden
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON--When Rep. Virginia Foxx questioned baseball great Roger Clemens at a congressional steroids hearing this week, she hurled nothing but softballs past the hard-throwing pitcher.
The House Oversight and Government Reform panel, which Foxx, R-5th, sits on, is investigating allegations that Clemens and other players used illegal, performance enhancing drugs.
For several hours on Wednesday, committee members questioned Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee, who told federal investigators that he regularly injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, or HGH.
It is common for Republicans and Democrats to stand at odds on policy issues in Washington. But the Clemens hearing proved that the two parties can even disagree on a single baseball player.
Most of the panels Democrats, led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked far more skeptical questions of Clemens than McNamee. Foxx and most of the panel's
Republicans were much harder on McNamee than Clemens. Clemens denies using illegal performance enhancing drugs.
Each member was only given a few minutes to ask questions. Foxx used her first on McNamee.
"Are you planning on trying to make money off of this situation?" she asked. "Are you writing a book or do you plan to write a book?"
McNamee said no.
"OK. We'll see," she replied.
She then asked McNamee why, if Clemens had a bad experience with HGH - something McNamee told federal investigators - did Clemens later ask McNamee to inject Clemens' wife with it.
"You're asking the wrong person," McNamee said, referring to Clemens.
Foxx then held up a large posterboard with four shots of Clemens, taken both before and after he was alleged to have used illegal performance enhancing drugs. The photos, she suggested, did not show evidence of change in body shape that can accompany use of
performance enhancers.
"Mr. Clemens, you know, I am not an expert in any of these issues, but you appear to me to be about the same size in all of those photos," she said. "Maybe you'd like to say something about how hard you work at keeping yourself in shape and how that would result in the stamina and body build that you have."
Coverage of Foxx's questions by the national sports media and other commentators was not exactly positive.
Before she started asking questions, Foxx questioned the purpose of the hearings.
"I think there are billions of dollars being wasted every minute by the federal government, and what this committee ought to be doing is looking - doing government oversight. And we're not doing that," she said.
A columnist for the Boston Globe found it odd that Foxx began her questioning with that statement and then asked questions.
"Rep. Virginia Foxx, who chastised us about wasting tax dollars for this hearing, ... then proceeded to waste even more, not to mention our time, with her inane Clemens body comparison," wrote Eric Wilbur, an online sports columnist.
"And did you catch Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) at the conclusion of the hearing? One minute she's asking questions, the next she's holding the arm of Clemens and then giving Debbie Clemens a hug. Ugh." wrote Tom Verducci, a baseball writer for Sports Illustrated.
Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show on the Comedy Central cable-TV channel, mocked her exercise question on his program Thursday night.
Her political opponents also jumped on the appearance.
"It is a shame for the people of our district that Virginia Foxx would use this congressional hearing to make a media spectacle of herself and buddy up to professional athletes. My opponent's actions have embarrassed our district once again," said Roy Carter, a Democrat who is hoping to unseat Foxx this fall.
In an interview yesterday, Foxx said she did not think she was harder on McNamee than Clemens.
"I just thought there were a couple of questions that hadn't been asked," she said.
Clemens made the rounds this week to talk with committee members face-to-face. Foxx said she had a pleasant visit with the pitcher, and spent a good deal of the meeting talking with one of Clemens' attorneys, a native of North Carolina, about their home state.
Asked whether she believed Clemens' or McNamee's story more, Foxx demurred.
"That wasn't my role. If there are questions about whether he's telling the truth, a prosecutor needs to handle it, not Congress," she said.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202-662-7668 or smussenden@mediageneral.com.
The House Oversight and Government Reform panel, which Foxx, R-5th, sits on, is investigating allegations that Clemens and other players used illegal, performance enhancing drugs.
For several hours on Wednesday, committee members questioned Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee, who told federal investigators that he regularly injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, or HGH.
It is common for Republicans and Democrats to stand at odds on policy issues in Washington. But the Clemens hearing proved that the two parties can even disagree on a single baseball player.
Most of the panels Democrats, led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked far more skeptical questions of Clemens than McNamee. Foxx and most of the panel's
Republicans were much harder on McNamee than Clemens. Clemens denies using illegal performance enhancing drugs.
Each member was only given a few minutes to ask questions. Foxx used her first on McNamee.
"Are you planning on trying to make money off of this situation?" she asked. "Are you writing a book or do you plan to write a book?"
McNamee said no.
"OK. We'll see," she replied.
She then asked McNamee why, if Clemens had a bad experience with HGH - something McNamee told federal investigators - did Clemens later ask McNamee to inject Clemens' wife with it.
"You're asking the wrong person," McNamee said, referring to Clemens.
Foxx then held up a large posterboard with four shots of Clemens, taken both before and after he was alleged to have used illegal performance enhancing drugs. The photos, she suggested, did not show evidence of change in body shape that can accompany use of
performance enhancers.
"Mr. Clemens, you know, I am not an expert in any of these issues, but you appear to me to be about the same size in all of those photos," she said. "Maybe you'd like to say something about how hard you work at keeping yourself in shape and how that would result in the stamina and body build that you have."
Coverage of Foxx's questions by the national sports media and other commentators was not exactly positive.
Before she started asking questions, Foxx questioned the purpose of the hearings.
"I think there are billions of dollars being wasted every minute by the federal government, and what this committee ought to be doing is looking - doing government oversight. And we're not doing that," she said.
A columnist for the Boston Globe found it odd that Foxx began her questioning with that statement and then asked questions.
"Rep. Virginia Foxx, who chastised us about wasting tax dollars for this hearing, ... then proceeded to waste even more, not to mention our time, with her inane Clemens body comparison," wrote Eric Wilbur, an online sports columnist.
"And did you catch Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) at the conclusion of the hearing? One minute she's asking questions, the next she's holding the arm of Clemens and then giving Debbie Clemens a hug. Ugh." wrote Tom Verducci, a baseball writer for Sports Illustrated.
Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show on the Comedy Central cable-TV channel, mocked her exercise question on his program Thursday night.
Her political opponents also jumped on the appearance.
"It is a shame for the people of our district that Virginia Foxx would use this congressional hearing to make a media spectacle of herself and buddy up to professional athletes. My opponent's actions have embarrassed our district once again," said Roy Carter, a Democrat who is hoping to unseat Foxx this fall.
In an interview yesterday, Foxx said she did not think she was harder on McNamee than Clemens.
"I just thought there were a couple of questions that hadn't been asked," she said.
Clemens made the rounds this week to talk with committee members face-to-face. Foxx said she had a pleasant visit with the pitcher, and spent a good deal of the meeting talking with one of Clemens' attorneys, a native of North Carolina, about their home state.
Asked whether she believed Clemens' or McNamee's story more, Foxx demurred.
"That wasn't my role. If there are questions about whether he's telling the truth, a prosecutor needs to handle it, not Congress," she said.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202-662-7668 or smussenden@mediageneral.com.