Birotte does not speak for the federal government as a whole, says anonymous source
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A downcast Lance Armstrong(Image credit: AFP)
Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong in the good old days(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Lance Armstrong (US Postal) at the start of the 1999 Amstel Gold(Image credit: Sirotti)
Lance Armstrong (Discovery Channel) rode a prototype Trek Madone SSLx in the 2005 Tour de France. The carbon fiber frame was reinforced with boron fibers to increase stiffness.(Image credit: AFP)
Lance Armstrong and the US Postal Service team(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Contrary to what U.S. Attorney André Birotte said at a press conference on Tuesday, a federal government source has told ABC News that Lance Armstrong is in fact the focus of a criminal investigation.
According to the anonymous source, "Agents are actively investigating Armstrong for obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation," they told ABC News.
Earlier, Birotte who last February dropped the federal investigation into the former Tour de France champion, told the media in Washington, DC, that he stood by the decision despite Armstrong’s confession to Oprah Winfrey.
"We made a decision on that case a little over a year ago," Birotte said, according to Reuters. "Obviously, we've been well aware of the statements that have been made by Mr. Armstrong in other media reports. That does not change my view at this time."
His comments appear to have been premature with the source adding that: "Birotte does not speak for the federal government as a whole," with the investigation being run out of an office separate to that of Birotte.
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