Democrats Renew Calls For Rupert Murdoch Investigation

With the tenth anniversary of September 11 still fresh in Americans’ minds, eight Democrats from the House Oversight Committee sent out a letter Monday calling on Chairman Darrell Issa to investigate allegations that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation hacked the telephones of 9/11 victims and other U.S. citizens.

“As you know, we have just observed the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks on our nation and these victims deserve to know whether they were targeted in this offensive and potentially illegal manner,” the letter stated.  “We request that the Committee at least take preliminary steps to determine how to proceed, such as meeting with the September 11th families, consulting with the Department of Justice, and pursuing other measures the Committee has utilized in many other investigations.”

Immediately upon learning of the allegations against Murdoch, Committee Members Rep. Bruce Baley (D-Iowa) and Rep. John F. Tierney (D-Mass.) sent their first of two letters to Chairman Issa but received no response. 

Since the letters were sent to Issa, the Justice Department has reportedly opened a preliminary investigation into these allegations, which include an investigation into whether or not News Corp. officials violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. 

“I’m extremely disappointed that Chairman Issa has not responded to my repeated calls for an investigation of News Corp,” said Rep. Braley. “I’m pleased that Ranking Member Cummings and six Oversight Committee members have now joined me in calling for this investigation. Yesterday, our nation observed the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The victim’s families of these horrific attacks deserve to know whether their loved ones were targeted in this offensive and potentially illegal manner.”