Murdoch Hacking: Rupert Murdoch Won’t Go Before Parliament

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son James won't go in public next week before a parliamentary committee that investigating the alleged phone hacking and bribery on the part of his employees, but his company's Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks said she will.

Unfortunately, I am not available to attend the session you have planned next Tuesday, Rupert Murdoch wrote, according to the U.K. Guardian. However, I am fully prepared to give evidence to the forthcoming judge-led public inquiry and I will be taking steps to notify those conducting the inquiry of my willingness to do so. Having done this, I would be happy to discuss with you how best to give evidence to your committee.

The Associated Press is reporting that the chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport committee has issued summonses to them but isn't sure if Rupert Murdoch could be forced to testify because of his U.S. Citizenship.

Instead, Rupert Murdoch declined and said he would go before a separate inquiry initiated by Prime Minister David Cameron and led by a judge. He is also willing to talk about other ways of giving evidence to parliament, according to The Associated Press.

In the meantime, James Murdoch who is chief of his father's European and Asian operations has said he will show up in August.

Brooks, a British citizen, who is also News International chief, said she would show up on Tuesday, Chairman John Whittingdale told the Associated Press.

Brooks was editor of News of the World in 2002 when it is alleged that the paper hacked into the voicemail of 13-year-old Milly Dowler that year. Dowler was missing at the time and police was investigating the incident. It is believed that the hack impeded police investigation at the time. Dowler was eventually found dead.

Brooks said she wasn't aware of any phone hacking at the time.

Whittingdale has made it clear that he wants to question James Murdoch.

He has stated that parliament has been misled by people in his employment, Whittingdale said. We felt that to wait until August was unjustifiable.

A criminal investigation into the Murdoch empire is growing and it has led detectives investigating the case to arrest of the former deputy editor of the News of the World. That tabloid published its last issue on Sunday.

Metropolitan Police have said the arrested Neil Wallis on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications. Wallis was the deputy editor under Andy Coulson from 2003 to 2007, according to The Associated Press.

Coulson was arrested on July 8. He began working for Cameron in 2007 and before leaving in January.

Police has made seven arrests in this investigation.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has insisted that all three senior executives face the members of parliament.

If they have any shred of sense of responsibility or accountability for their position of power, then they should come and explain themselves before a select committee, Clegg said in an interview with BBC radio.