WASHINGTON (AP) – Sen. John McCain demanded that major league baseball’s players and owners tighten the sport’s drug-testing policy to “restore the integrity” of the game.

Expressing dismay over recurring reports of steroid abuse by some of baseball’s biggest stars, the Arizona Republican repeated a threat he made before the last season to legislate a stricter rules if the sport fails to police itself.

Steroid accusations hit the headlines this week with reports of grand jury testimony in San Francisco that linked steroid abuse to such sluggers as Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi.

In an interview televised Friday night on ABC’s “20/20,” the head of a nutritional supplements lab implicated in the story added the names of top track and football stars to those he said had used illegal substances. Victor Conte, head of Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, said he didn’t know whether Bonds had used steroids.

“I am dismayed – though not surprised” by the reports, McCain, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Friday in a statement. “Still, major league baseball and its players insist on turning a blind eye to the misconduct that threatens to undermine the legitimacy of their sport.”

He demanded quick action by commissioner Bud Selig and the union head Donald Fehr to solve the problem.

“To restore the integrity of baseball, commissioner Selig and Don Fehr must meet immediately – not merely by spring training as the commissioner has promised – and agree to implement a drug-testing policy that is at least as stringent as the one observed by the minor league program,” McCain said.

McCain told The Washington Post in an interview that “I’ll give them until January, and then I’ll introduce legislation.” The senator attended the Army-Navy football game Saturday with President Bush but would not talk to reporters there.

It is unclear how much support such a proposal would have in Congress – the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., complained last year that McCain’s idea would rewrite collective baseball contracts.

Selig said he is committed to ridding baseball of performance-enhancing substances and is demanding that the players’ union adopt a stronger testing policy modeled after the minor leagues’ more stringent program.

“The use of these substances continues to raise issues regarding the game’s integrity and raises serious concerns about the health and well-being of our players,” Selig said.

The union declined comment during the week but has said it is willing to discuss the drug policy with management. The current policy was adopted in September 2002 and runs until December 2006.

Meanwhile, the federal judge overseeing the case against people connected to the Bay area lab has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the grand jury leaks that led to this week’s revelations.

The San Francisco Chronicle was able to review sealed transcripts containing the testimony of Bonds, Giambi and Gary Sheffield.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston called for an investigation “either internally or if necessary through independent counsel, in order to determine the source of the disclosures.” The U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco also has requested an investigation. On Friday, the Justice Department said it was considering the requests.