updated 11:39 p.m. ET Aug. 3, 2005

WASHINGTON - Congress isn’t through with Rafael Palmeiro.

A House committee will investigate whether the Baltimore Orioles slugger committed perjury by testifying under oath that he never took performance-enhancing drugs.

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the Government Reform Committee, said Wednesday that Palmeiro agreed to let Major League Baseball turn over information about the failed drug test that resulted in a 10-day suspension for the player this week.

On March 17, Palmeiro appeared before Davis’ panel, jabbed his finger in the air for emphasis and declared: “I have never used steroids. Period.”

Palmeiro tested positive for the powerful steroid stanozolol, a person with knowledge of the sport’s drug-testing program told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The person did not want to be identified because the sport prohibits disclosure of test results without authorization.

“As a practical matter, perjury referrals are uncommon,” Davis said in a telephone interview with the AP. “Prosecutions are rare. But this is a high-profile case, so I think it will get an honest look-see. I don’t think anyone can avoid it.

“If we did nothing,” he added, “I think we’d look like idiots. Don’t you?”

Davis and the committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, asked baseball to turn over information about the failed test — and any other drug tests Palmeiro has taken — including what was detected and how much.

The positive test came after Palmeiro’s appearance before Congress but before he notched his 3,000th hit last month. That means he reached the milestone — joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers — after he knew about the positive results, the source told the AP.

When the suspension was announced Monday, Palmeiro stood by his statements to Congress and said he didn’t know what caused the positive test.

Stanozolol is what sprinter Ben Johnson of Canada tested positive for when he was stripped of his gold medal and world record in the 100 meters at the 1988 Olympics. It is not available in over-the-counter supplements and is known as a powerful strength-builder. It can be ingested in tablet form, leaving one’s system in less than a month, or injected, lasting several weeks longer.

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“It’s hard for me to reconcile that someone doesn’t know that they have steroids in their body. I’m extraordinarily skeptical,” said committee member Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn.

“It obviously was disappointing and a little unsettling that the one person so emphatic about not taking steroids was one of the first since then to be disciplined.”

NBC SPORTS INTERACTIVE Steroids and stars The Who's Who of the crisis that has enshrouded baseball and other sports. Reuters

Rather than relying on news reports, Davis said, Congress will wait to see what it learns from the information baseball provides. Palmeiro agreed that it be released during a telephone conversation with Davis on Tuesday night.

“He was pretty adamant about the point he didn’t do anything,” Davis said. “He also remarked he didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy his 3,000th hit. There was an allusion to that.”

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