CREW: Congress Should Hold News Corp. Hearings Immediately

Washington, D.C. – In response to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) calling for the “appropriate agencies” to investigate the growing News Corp. scandal, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director Melanie Sloan issued the following statement:

“While it is encouraging that Sen. Rockefeller shares CREW’s concern about whether American 9/11 victims had their voicemails hacked, there is no need to cede all investigative authority to the executive branch.  Just as the British Parliament has held hearings and heard the testimony of witnesses, Congress has the ability to subpoena News Corp. employees and require them to explain themselves.  The idea that News Corp. may have sought to exploit the victims of one of the darkest days in U.S. history for financial gain is grotesque.   Even in these hyper-partisan days, Congress should be able to put the privacy of terrorist victims and their families above politics. Mr. Murdoch and his acolytes must be held accountable here as well as in Great Britain.”