The Department of Justice is preparing subpoenas for preliminary investigations of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ (owned by News Corp) reports that an anonymous government official says the subpoenas have not yet been approved by senior DOJ officials, which would have to happen before they could be issued.
The investigation would examine whether News Corp violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which prevents bribery of foreign officials, if reporters for its British News Of The World tabloid bribed members of Scotland Yard. The investigation would also examine allegations that NOTW reporters hacked into the phones of 9/11 victims.
News Corp, which is based in the U.S., has recently begun adding to its legal team in the U.S. — including an expert in FCPA, according to the WSJ.
Several lawmakers have also called for the SEC to investigate the alleged FCPA violations.
The FBI had already announced a probe into the allegations about 9/11 victims, stemming from a report in the U.K.’s Daily Mirror that a New York City P.I. claimed News Of The World reporters asked him to get the phone records of dead British victims of 9/11.
In a hearing before Parliament on Tuesday, Murdoch denied the allegations: “We have seen no evidence of that at all and as far as we know the FBI haven’t either. If they do we will treat it exactly the same way as we do here.” He added that he would “absolutely” commission an investigation if the allegations turn out to be true.
Read more about the scandal here.
A SurveyUSA poll released Thursday found that 77% of Americans familiar with the phone hacking case think the DOJ should look to see if News Corporation broke any laws in America.
