Durbin calls for investigation of News Corp. phone hacking - DeMint says its none of our business

[NNN0LHI]

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/171895-durbin-calls-for-congress-to-investigate-murdoch

By Alexander Bolton - 07/17/11 11:57 AM ET

Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the second-ranking Senate Democrat, has called for congressional hearings and investigations of Ruport Murdoch’s media empire to determine whether it employed illegal practices in the U.S.

Durbin called for Congress to investigate the matter after British police arrested Rebekah Brooks Sunday morning in a widening probe of phone hacking and police payoffs by journalists who worked for Murdoch. snip

Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.), chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, said Sunday that Congress should stay out of the issue.

“We need to let law enforcement work here. Congress has got a big issue in front of us. We need to handle our own business for a change,” he said.

[spanone]

1. breaking the law is now a partisan issue?

[DCKit]

7. Ouch. Guess it is. Good call. nt

[WhiteTara]

2. What have you got to hide, Jim DeMint?

Will the scandal come knocking at your door?

[malaise]

3. Check at 9.52

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/43784850#43784850

[Esse Quam Videri]

4. Uhhhhh..... Isn't this why there are different committees and

sub-committees in Congress? So there is congressional oversight without tying up all the members?

[Uben]

5. Just let it get bigger as election nears

FOX news in scandalous headlines just before the election is a godsend. Who knows how deep it goes? We'll have to see who's still running after the facts come out. Will those who received campaign money from FOX return it if FOX news is implicated in this humongous scandal? I suspect we'll see a lot of American involvement in the phone hacking scandal, as well. If so, maybe Ailes will do some time in prison for his role in covering it up.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Looks Like Other Shoes Are About To Drop...

The question is how solid the spineless AG Holder is to really follow through and let the DOJ go after this corporate...or if he'll pull punches in fear of the "political fallout".

The moment Murdoch's ocmpany is found culpable and any American is convicted of a crime the company's American assets...especially its broadcast licenses could be in jeopardy. The immediate fallout of the stock price collapsing will probably have more of an effect as Rupe's shareholders try to stop the bleeding and this is where things will get real interesting.

There's precedence here...RKO General lost many of its licenses due to criminal conduct and if this scandal brings down the British government, the push for a bigger investigation here will grow.

Another interesting side of this story are the piling on...the constant revelations that seems to flow every day from former employees and the almost schadenfraude-like coverage this is getting from Rupe's once nascent competitors. Payaback is a bitch and the line to go after Murdoch covers several continents.

Cheers...

:hi:

[ProfessionalLeftist]

8. As I figured. Repigs will protect Murdoch's criminal a$$. n/t

[Scuba]

9. Fuck Jim DeMint. He's the biggest asshole in Congress. n/t

[bulloney]

10. By chance, was DeMint one of the senators who's kept pushing Obama to release his "official"

birth certificate on the Senate floor?

But, when it comes to the conservatives' hallowed Murdoch media machine, it's none of our business? In principle, I understand what DeMint is arguing, but I don't have much tolerance for his double standards.

[donheld]

11. Well I say we make it our business. IMHO Anybody stands in the way

is probably in on it.