The judge in the Roger Clemens perjury trial has ruled that defense lawyers can't call Rep. Darrell Issa as a witness.
Issa is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the panel that Clemens allegedly lied to in 2008 when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs.
Issa, a California Republican, wasn't chairman at the time, and he criticized the committee for holding the hearing. Defense lawyers were hoping his testimony would help call into question the hearing's legitimacy.
But U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled Monday that banking on Issa to make such comments on the stand amounted to speculation. The judge said that if did allow Issa to testify, he'd have to let the government call other lawmakers who supported the hearing — dragging out the trial.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.