I’m sure you’re cooperating, Rupert.
I was watching Chris Hayes coverage on The Last Word of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal earlier this evening (video here) and he actually pointed out something I had not realized about this deplorable case. In his statement, Rupert Murdoch assured that Joel Klein and Viet Dinh would be responsible for overseeing News Corp.’s cooperation with the investigation. The first several times I saw reference to those names today, they meant nothing to me. Then as I was watching Chris Hayes tonight, he pointed out who Viet Dinh is. Viet Dinh was the Assistant Attorney General of the United States under President George W. Bush and is credited as being the author and mastermind of the USA PATRIOT Act (which I also call “The most unConstitutional legislation ever passed by a US Congress” Act). If you’ve been living under a rock since 9/11, then you don’t know that part of the USA PATRIOT Act made it basically legal for law enforcement agencies to tap phones without a warrant.
Let me make this clear: Rupert Murdoch has chosen the author of a bill that made it legal for agencies to eavesdrop on citizens to oversee cooperation with the investigation of illegal phone hacking by one of his newspapers. You cannot make shit like this up. Seriously.
Don’t take my word for it. Watch this. Guarantee you’ll learn something.
