Lance Armstrong, CBS News Engage in War of Words Over '60 Minutes

[SoCal]

Lance Armstrong, CBS News Engage in War of Words Over '60 Minutes' Expose


Bill Clinton strategist Mark Fabiani set up Facts4Lance.com Web site to deny a story set to air Sunday alleging Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs.


A war of words has erupted between Lance Armstrong and CBS News chairman Jeff Fager over a 60 Minutes piece that airs Sunday that alleges Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven times.

Armstrong pulled out of an interview with the news show to defend himself, telling The Daily Beast that the network "basically reneged" on promises it made to him and that "everyone would be frustrated" to be treated like that. He strongly denies the allegations, which are also the matter of a federal investigation.

Of the story producer, he says, "I would not call him a straight shooter… My version of events has never changed on this, and won’t."

But Fager, who is also the ep of 60 Minutes, tells The Daily Beast, "We have been so thorough and fair to Lance Armstrong. We have shared with them every single allegation in our story… This is a PR game. Our reporters have done a first-class job."

Armstrong has even gone as far as to have strategist Mark Fabiani, who worked with former President Bill Clinton during Whitewater and was an aide in Al Gore's presidential campaign, create a Web site to deny the allegations, www.facts4lance.com.

"We have every right to know which cyclists are going to be on camera, making allegations, and to tell the public how these new allegations completely contradict what these cyclists have said for years, how these cyclists are motivated now by the desire to get famous on 60 Minutes and maybe find publishers and make money, and how these cyclists have a long history of dissembling.” Fabiani says in a statement.

In the interview, which airs Sunday at 7 p.m., former teammate Tyler Hamilton says they both used "EPO…testosterone…a blood transfusion” while competing. Hamilton, who returned the gold medal he won in the individual time trial at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games Friday, also testified in the federal investigation.

"I saw [EPO] in his refrigerator…I saw him inject it more than one time like we all did, like I did many, many times," he tells Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes. Teammate Frankie Andreu also says: "Training alone wasn’t doing it and I think that’s how…many of the other riders during that era felt, I mean, you kind of didn’t have a choice."

Two of Armstrong’s lawyers, Robert Luskin and Ted Herman, wrote a letter to Fager, according to the Daily Beast, that said 60 Minutes had engaged in "disgraceful journalism."

Luskin says some of the allegations are 15 years old and made by "people in the Lance-hater category who have made sworn statements at odds with what they’re telling 60 Minutes now.”

Replies Fager, "It’s unfortunate they won’t do an interview with us. If he never did anything, fine, come on 60 Minutes and tell us.”

[royalfan5]

Does anybody actually believe that he wasn't doping just like all the other cyclists that race competitively?

[badger]

Does anybody actually believe that he wasn't doping just like all the other cyclists that race competitively?

I know a lot of people are saying he did it, but you'd think that there would be at least some type of proof at this point, rather than an endless stream of people that might have something against Lance or just want to keep their names in the headlines speaking up.

Some photos, videos, documents, receipts, blood tests, urine tests, hair follicle tests, any tests, ANYTHING, but not your-word-against-mine interviews.

Someone that has had the success that Lance has breeds jealousy among other athletes, namely cyclists and their families and friends. They have all of the reasons in the world to want Lance discredited, dethroned, demolished in the public eye.

I am a naive blond chick, yes, but till there is proof beyond "I saw Lance do this... I heard Lance say this... I joined Lance in the partaking of..." blah blah blah, it just isn't enough proof.

It's why he's still considered the 7-time Tour champ. People talking is NOT good enough proof.

[StoopTroup]

If they were all doing it and he won....what are they crying about?

[royalfan5]

I know a lot of people are saying he did it, but you'd think that there would be at least some type of proof at this point, rather than an endless stream of people that might have something against Lance or just want to keep their names in the headlines speaking up.

Some photos, videos, documents, receipts, blood tests, urine tests, hair follicle tests, any tests, ANYTHING, but not your-word-against-mine interviews.

Someone that has had the success that Lance has breeds jealousy among other athletes, namely cyclists and their families and friends. They have all of the reasons in the world to want Lance discredited, dethroned, demolished in the public eye.

I am a naive blond chick, yes, but till there is proof beyond "I saw Lance do this... I heard Lance say this... I joined Lance in the partaking of..." blah blah blah, it just isn't enough proof.

It's why he's still considered the 7-time Tour champ. People talking is NOT good enough proof.

I bet you think that college athletics are mostly pure too.

[royalfan5]

If they were all doing it and he won....what are they crying about?

Because we are supposed to pretend that doping is the exception and not the rule.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Scuse me, who gives a damn?

[StoopTroup]

I bet you think that college athletics are mostly pure too.

I think that psychological training should be banned too because I didn't think to do it when I was training....

Seriously....he won 7 times! If they were going to catch him....they had plenty of chances and he was in France! I mean....they were all over him every time he raced.

This BS needs to stop. If they have a bad system and can't catch cheaters....then may be they should just quit having the damned race...

[royalfan5]

I think that psychological training should be banned too because I didn't think to do it when I was training....

Seriously....he won 7 times! If they were going to catch him....they had plenty of chances and he was in France! I mean....they were all over him every time he raced.

This BS needs to stop. If they have a bad system and can't catch cheaters....then may be they should just quit having the damned race...

I think they should let them take what ever the hell they want, and spare the pearl clutching over allegations later that just waste everyone time. I feel the same way about college sports too.

[Turd_Ferguson]

Scuse me, who gives a damn?

No ****..some dude that rides a bikecycle around...big whoop...

[Mongo]

I think they should let them take what ever the hell they want, and spare the pearl clutching over allegations later that just waste everyone time. I feel the same way about college sports too.

[yankee]

What I wanna know is why is this Hamilton dude bringing it up now, years after the fact? He sounds awfully bitter to me. I guess it was OK to do steroids years ago, but since he got caught and got banned from the sport, now he's gonna start throwing accusations around. Sounds like a real *** hole.

[Mongo]

What I wanna know is why is this Hamilton dude bringing it up now, years after the fact? He sounds awfully bitter to me. I guess it was OK to do steroids years ago, but since he got caught and got banned from the sport, now he's gonna start throwing accusations around. Sounds like a real *** hole.

Federal grand jury. Investigating the use of public funds for illegal activity

[sooner ngintunr]

[Penguin]

Yeah, it's because of the investigation. Lying to a federal agent is a felony and can get you a 5 year prison term. Since it's all going to be made public anyway, might as well come on 60 Minutes and make a few bucks.

[bluedogok]

Federal grand jury. Investigating the use of public funds for illegal activity

I thought the US Postal Service was not true governmental entity? It is in the minds of some when convenient and not when they want it to be.

As far as I am concerned its ancient history, as is the baseball steroid stuff. It should be treated as "yeah it happened but that was then". Pretty much everyone other than the gov't and media have moved on from the steroid eras in sports. I am tired of hearing about Armstrong, which we do even moreso down here. This investigation and the Bonds trial are just massive wastes of taxpayer dollars with no real purpose other than to feed some US Attorney office egos.

[Mongo]

I thought the US Postal Service was not true governmental entity? It is in the minds of some when convenient and not when they want it to be.

you are gonna get meganegged by Dean for that one

[C&CDean]

I thought the US Postal Service was not true governmental entity? It is in the minds of some when convenient and not when they want it to be.

Oh. You just ****ed up.

[StoopTroup]

lol

[bluedogok]

Oh. You just ****ed up.

Isn't that what some politicians claim? Just like Amtrak? They are both entities that politicians desire to be "privatized" but for all intents and purposes they can't operate as their own profit centers because of requirements and constraints.

When it comes time for the US Attorneys office to trump up some charges and waste a massive amount of taxpayer dollars then the USPS is a "governmental entity" but when it comes to funding the USPS the politicians want to treat it like a private sector business. They just need to make up their mind what it really is supposed to be and quit acting like it is whatever they want it to be on a whim.

Most of the anti-doping agencies are always playing catch up and the athletes are always ahead of them. The gov't just needs to give up on steroid fights from things that happened years ago, THAT is all I am saying. It serves no legitimate purpose years after the fact, especially for things that may or may not have been against the rules or whatever sport were in place at the time.