Mike Wallace, the legendary investigative journalist and long-time co-host of CBS’ 60 Minutes, has died at age 93. Wallace had so many remarkable interviews with world figures over a career that spanned decades. However, most news stories are referring readers to the online video interview of Major League Baseball star Roger Clemens regarding accusations that Clemens used anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH). It was Mike Wallace’s final television appearance.
The steroid interview with Clemens was broadcast on January 4, 2008. Rusty Hardin, the attorney for Clemens, arranged for his client to appear on the award-winning 60 Minutes show to defend himself against accusations by former personal trainer Brian McNamee. McNamee had accused Clemens of using the anabolic steroid testosterone and human growth hormone in the Mitchell Report. McNamee was ordered to cooperate with Senator George Mitchell’s team as they investigated the extent of performance-enhancing drug use in MLB.
Wallace didn’t get Clemens to confess to using steroids. But he did convince Clemens to provide some unusual evidence as proof that he never used steroids or hGH. Clemens told Wallace that he would have grown a “third ear out of his head”, would have been able to “pull a tractor with his teeth” and would have seen his tendons “turn to dust” if he had used steroids.
The Clemens interview turned out to be a disastrous public relations ploy for Rusty Hardin. And it wasn’t a particularly insightful interview. Yet, the interview has seen renewed interest after the death of Wallace.
There are several interviews that were much more significant in Wallace’s career than the steroid interview with Clemens. Why hasn’t the media treated us to videos of those?
Wallace interviewed President Richard Nixon’s lawyer and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs John D. Ehrlichman in the midst of the Watergate scandal.
“Perjury,” Wallace described the Watergate scandal. “Plans to audit tax returns for political retaliation. Theft of psychiatric records. Spying by undercover agents. Conspiracy to obstruct justice. All of this by the law-and-order administration of Richard Nixon.”
The scandal ultimately led to the resignation of Nixon.
Wallace interviewed Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. Wallace called Khomeini a “lunatic” even though he was quoting President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt.
He also interviewed the Vice President of Research and Development at tobacco company Brown & Williamson. Whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand admitted on camera, in response to Wallace’s questioning, that executives at the company lied under oath before Congress about their knowledge of the addictive nature of nicotine. Wigand was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 1999 movie The Insider.
Out of all these historic interviews, people have been referred to the insignificant Roger Clemens steroid interview. Of course, this may not be particularly surprising given the fact that lying under Congress about steroids can result in a federal War on Steroids and numerous steroid perury prosecutions whereas the War on Nictoine never really materialized.
Source:
Livingstone, S. (April 8, 2012). Mike Wallace’s legacy includes Roger Clemens interview. Retrieved from http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/04/mike-wallace-dies-roger-clemens-steroids-perjury-trial/1
Weiner, T. (April 8, 2012). “Mike Wallace, CBS Pioneer of ’60 Minutes,’ Dies at 93”. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/business/media/mike-wallace-cbs-pioneer-of-60-minutes-dead-at-93.html
