U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry skipped the recent hearings on Roger Clemens.

The Cherryville Republican sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which looked into whether the pro baseball player used human growth hormone, but he did not attend the full hearing.

In a statement, he said the hearings were a "circus" that "could only impress P.T. Barnum."

But Gaston Gazette sports columnist Derick Moss notes that McHenry did attend previous hearings on Mark McGwire's alleged steroid use in 2005, saying that performance-enhancing drugs send "the worst message" to young people.

What happened between then and now to change his mind? Plenty. For starters, his party was in the majority in 2005 and was actually the body that called for the hearings in the first place. Now that the Dems are calling the plays, McHenry wants to stay on the sidelines.  

Moss also points out that it was Clemens' idea to appear before the committee.

Hat Tip: BlueNC