Perjury investigation on Clemens requested

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department has been asked to investigate whether major league pitcher Roger Clemens committed perjury during recent congressional testimony.

Clemens delivered sworn testimony on Feb 5 and appeared in a public hearing Feb. 13. In both instances he denied using performance-enhancing substances during his career.

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey Wednesday stating Clemens, "committed perjury and made knowingly false statements" to the committee.

The congressmen said the testimony contradicted statements made by Clemens' former teammate Andy Pettitte and former trainer Brian McNamee.

McNamee implicated both Clemens and Pettitte in last year's major league baseball investigation into the use of steroids and human growth hormones. Pettitte admitted to such use. Clemens several times aggressively denied steroid or HGH use.

Clemens did say McNamee injected the pitcher with the pain-killer lidocaine and the vitamin B-12.

Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, was the highest profile player among about 90 named in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing substances.