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Clemens' former nanny doesn't recall party

BY ANTHONY RIEBER | anthony.rieber@newsday.com

11:22 PM EST, February 13, 2008

After Wednesday's congressional hearing, she'll always be known as "The Nanny" -- the woman at the center of a "he said, he said" debate between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee about whether Clemens attended a party at Jose Canseco's house nearly 10 years ago.

She is a grandmother who worked for the Clemens family in the Houston area for 13 years until 2001. Fiercely loyal to Clemens, whom she called "a good man," she said she once spent a night with the Clemens family at Canseco's Miami house, but didn't know if Clemens himself slept in the house and doesn't recall a party.

"The only thing I can tell you truthfully is one night we went to spend the night at Mr. Jose Canseco," she told investigators from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a telephone interview on Tuesday, according to a transcript posted on the committee Web site (her name was blacked out). "While I was there, I don't recall a party at Mr. Jose Canseco's house."

Asked who stayed at the house, she named the Clemens family, including the Rocket's four sons: "Mrs. Clemens, Koby, Kory, Kacy, Kody, Mrs. Clemens' brother and myself," she said.

The committee spoke to her because McNamee told investigators she could confirm that Clemens was at the June 1998 party. But when the committee asked the Clemens' camp for her contact information, Clemens contacted her first on Sunday. This is what led to a heated exchange Wednesday between Clemens' lawyers and committee chairman Henry Waxman.

Did Clemens try to influence the memories and testimony of the nanny? She told investigators, " said, 'They will be calling you.' He says, 'Will you please tell the truth?' So I told him, 'Yes, absolutely.'"

She did admit that Clemens was present when Canseco gave the family a tour of the house, but then Clemens left.

Asked if Clemens had gone to play golf, she said she didn't really keep tabs on him. "I was more in charge of the kiddos."

The nanny didn't have an attorney with her when she spoke to the committee. When asked about that, she said, "I'm not afraid. I'm telling the truth. So bring it on."