US should press corrupt practices charges against Murdoch, says MP
Last edited Thu Jul 4, 2013, 06:17 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: The Guardian
A prominent Labour MP has said US authorities should press corporate corruption charges against Rupert Murdoch's global empire after he admitted in a secretly recorded meeting with staff on the Sun that payments to police were part of "the culture of Fleet Street".
Chris Bryant, who has been compensated for phone hacking by the defunct News of the World, said the latest revelations were "another reason" for the FBI to take action under the foreign corrupt practices act, which makes it an offence for American companies to pay public officials on foreign soil.
The MP for Rhondda said he had spoken to the Met police, and claimed the force had been in touch with the FBI. But he added that he believed the UK authorities were reluctant to consider bringing any corporate corruption charges in the UK because the force was "waiting for Operation Elveden [the investigation into unlawful payments made to public officials] to finish".
Meanwhile, Labour colleague Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, has written to a leading US politician, Senator John D Rockefeller, asking him to ensure the US authorities' investigations into News Corporation "are not inhibited in going to the very top".
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jul/04/rupert-murdoch-us-mp-fbi
John D Rockefeller IV = West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller
Berlum
(7,044 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)If they could enforce 'the foreign corrupt practices act, which makes it an offence (sic) for American companies to pay public officials on foreign soil,' they'd have arrested Mitt and slew of other libertarian free market zealots.
It's called 'the price of doing business' by the rich and sleazy, and the American people won't let anything get in the way of their capitalist religious belief system.
Anything else is heresy, and the only way the FBI would take them to court was for the USA to go Commie. If the FBI went after them, it'd prove it to Rand and the rest. They'd abolish the FBI, like they've tried to do the same to the ATF.
mpcamb
(2,871 posts)There aren't many restrictions I'd want on the power of the press.
Assange, Snowden- let 'em walk. They only promulgated truth about things we have a right to know.
Murdoch- Jail him. He a corrupt crook who made payoffs, illegally wire and phonetapped.
Throw away the key while you're at it.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)The MP doesn't need to give our alphabet agencies suggestions if theirs won't do the job, either. We have bigger things to do with our time in the USA, fighting off the Paulites and Baggers. The UK can charter fly Assange to Ecaudor to set up shop for all I care. I'm tired of the media show while real people are getting the shaft with no one noticing. Jailing or freeing 1% darlings won't stop that. Meanwhile, the GOP are laughing at us.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)"Such a conviction and punishment would set a dangerous precedent. If this conviction were to stand, it would put billionaire right wing operatives on the same level as pot smokers and thieves. The US has a long history of the filthy rich getting away with crimes up to and including treason. Letting this conviction stand would be a strike at one of the cornerstones of American jurisprudence."
Kingofalldems
(38,458 posts)StevePaulson
(174 posts)Murdoch has 2 gold plated get out of jail free cards.
One, he is a billionaire, and billionaires don't do time for any crime less than a $50 billion dollar fraud.
Two he helps lying Republican scumbags get elected with his propaganda / pure bs lies channel.
Zero chance this maggot will ever do time.
Doing time is for poor people, and Democrats like Don Siegelman.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)how ironic for the US.
-p