Jude Law claims that 'very senior executive' knew of phone-hacking (by Rupert Murdoch's papers)

Snoutport

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sat May-21-11 12:05 PM
Original message

Jude Law claims that 'very senior executive' knew of phone-hacking (by Rupert Murdoch's papers)

Source: Independent U.K.

A high court judge said yesterday he would consider whether the most senior executives at Rupert Murdoch's News International knew of the phone hacking scandal, when he decides the level of damages due to victims of voicemail eavesdropping by the News of the World.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/jude-law-claims-that-very-senior-executive-knew-of-phonehacking-2287168.html

Why is this important? I'll be happy to tell ya!

Up until now Rupert Murdoch's defense has been some lower level employees did the phone hacking without the knowledge of the executive branch. What Jude Law's case says is that the executives knew. This COMPLETELY changes the playing field by putting Murdoch's Minions in this position: They either have to fight the accusations or they have to give up an executive to be arrested. There aren't that many high up level executives: Rebeccah Brooks, one of Murdoch's favorite employees and...Rupert Murdoch's son are the two people in the line of command that come closest to mind.

James Murdoch was recently given a "promotion" that whisked him out of his job in London and plopped him down here in America...far far away from the problems in England. BUT...James is the one who (pretty much had to) approve of several million pound checks that were paid out, in essence, as hush money. Paid off legal battles with gag orders, employees who went to jail for hacking who got large checks from NewsCorp when they got out of jail)... lots of dirty possibilities in the mix. Scary enough to warrant Rupert Murdoch rushing his son out of the country.

So...Newscorp is now between a rock and a hard place: give up an executive or fight a huge, expensive PUBLIC court battle. It is the public here that matters because Jude Law's case going public will mean everything Murdoch has been able to hide with payoffs is coming out into the light of day. If it is Brooks, they'll lie and spend money to defend her but eventually they will throw her to wolves...they will have to to keep the lid on things. They'll promise her money for silence but she'll get that after she gets out of jail. If it is James Murdoch then Rupert is going to...well...there in lies the drama. He fights it out in court in the public arena or he throws his own son to the wolves. Which will it be?

The more that goes public the more money people will get for suing and the more people who have been hacked will find out. Everyday that list gets longer and currently the police suspect it is over 6000 people.

Now we need to find out if any of the information taken from the politician's phones were used to hurt them politically...then it becomes some sort of collusion to overthrow the government. I'm telling you guys, if they stay on this story it will bring down the right wing govt. of the UK. But, for now, we have to settle for an executive...let's hope it is a good one.