Rupert-Gate Continues

The CBC reports that Rebekah Brooks arrested in phone-hacking scandal

Rebekah Brooks, Rupert Murdoch’s former British CEO, says she is “assisting the police with their inquiries” after being arrested in the British phone hacking and police bribery scandal.

Brooks, 43, was arrested at a London police station at noon Sunday by appointment. She is being questioned on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications — phone hacking — and on suspicion of corruption, which relates to bribing police for information.

Police had previously arrested nine people connected to Murdoch’s British media empire over allegations that the News of the World hacked into the phone voice mails of hundreds of celebrities, politicians, rival journalists and even murder victims. No one has yet been charged.

Actually, Rebekah assumed she would be “assisting the police with their inquiries” [that phrase is actually a bit of humor that Terry Pratchett has used multiple times because only newspapers say it] when she went to the police station for an interview, but the police had already amassed enough information to arrest her.

The ABC has a side note: Lawyers for Royal family in hacking cover-up?

The Royal family and their lawyers are the latest to be drawn into the phone hacking scandal engulfing News Corporation.

ABC News was first to reveal that Harbottle and Lewis, the firm of solicitors whose name has been associated with the Royal family for years, has covered up evidence that they were privy to during the first court action against The News of the World.

When the ABC was filming outside their premises, lawyers for the group approached us and said they had been warned by the Metropolitan Police that they must not speak to the press.

They brought the first case against NotW that resulted in a reporter and private investigator going to prison, and were then hired by News Corp.

Finally, on a heads up from Jams O’Donnell, we have the BBC report: Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson quits

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned following the phone hacking scandal.

Britain’s most senior police officer has faced criticism for hiring former News of the World executive Neil Wallis – who was questioned by police investigating hacking – as an adviser.

Sir Paul said his links to the journalist could hamper investigations.

He said there were lessons to be learned from the affair, but he was leaving with his integrity intact.

He also said he had no knowledge of the extent of the phone hacking.

It is so comforting that the head of London’s police “knows nah-theenk” about one of the most wide-spread cases in the country that his department investigated.