British Phone Hacking Investigation May Come to US

Posted July 13th, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
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U.S. Senator John Rockefeller has called for an investigation to determine if the company at the heart of Britain's phone hacking scandal has broken any U.S. laws.

Rockefeller said he is concerned that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal, Fox Broadcasting and other U.S. media companies, may have targeted 9/11 victims and their families. He warned the consequences could be “severe”.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected Wednesday to announce a full-scale inquiry into the phone hacking scandal.

The British parliment is expected Wednesday to back a motion urging Murdoch to withdraw his multi-billion dollar bid to buy the satellite TV company, BSkyB. The parlimentary resolution would be non-binding.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused News of the World, which closed Sunday after 168 years of publishing, and other Murdoch-owned papers of hiring criminals to tap into calls and records of his family and ordinary people to obtain confidential information.

Mr. Brown said the Murdoch newspapers “really exploited people,” not just him, but “people who were at rock bottom.”

British lawmakers have summoned Murdoch, his son, James, and other company executives to answers questions about the phone-hacking and accusations that the company paid police for access to information.