Rebekah Brooks arrested

Rebekah Brooks, fresh from resigning as chief executive of News International, was arrested today and remains in police custody. The BBC's news editor described it as an "extraordinary development," but also points out that this may make her unavailable to attend her scheduled public grilling in parliament. How about that.

⟿ Follow Rob Beschizza on Twitter.

MORE: News

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

EH

I’m getting a little annoyed at this “nibble from the bottom” approach to this issue. What criteria need to be met for Rupert to have his US citizenship revoked, and/or have a corporate charter dissolved?
- noen
  
  “I’m getting a little annoyed at this “nibble from the bottom” approach to this issue.”
  
  This is the only way for little fish to eat big fish.
  
  You can’t revoke US citizenship and dissolving a corporate charter is next to impossible. What *can* happen though is for advertisers to flee a sinking ship. People do know that while Murdoch is the chief owner, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is number two, right?
  - EH
    
    You can’t revoke US citizenship
    
    It’s my understanding that naturalized citizens, such as Rupert, can have their citizenship revoked. Do you have any information to the contrary, or are you simply misinformed?
    
    I don’t care if you think dissolving a charter is “next to impossible,” my question is asking about the parts you’re weaseling around. You know, the stuff covered up by “next to.”
Anonymous

you misunderstand. news of the world are the victims of this terrible hacking scandal.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/07/the-most-incredible-thing-fox-news-has-ever-done/242037/
Anonymous

Here’s something Happy out of Britain to take the sting away:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1c2OfAzDTI
subhan

Naturalized citizens can be denaturalized:
http://www.newcitizen.us/losing.html
Anonymous

reschedule the grilling?
knoxblox

Sorry Rebekah, here comes the bus, and you’re going to be on…errr…under it.
- EH
  
  Nah, scuttlebutt is that this will allow her to plead silence in front of Parliament this week. Couple that with the Murdoch’s playing dumb and you have the beginnings of a fix.
  - knoxblox
    
    Still, I wonder if this is the same way it would play out if a small business was caught in some wrongdoing?
    
    At what level do the classified ads start to read (between the lines): “Professional Fall Guy Needed to Take a Dive in Cases of Corporate Malfeasance – Excellent Severance Package in Exchange for Your Silence”?
Avram / Moderator

Someone on one of the sources I read (I forget which) suggested that the cops might have arrested her so they can get some testimony which won’t be tainted by her appearance before Parliament, to be used in eventual prosecution.
Anonymous

I suspect that the police arresting her was an attempt to prevent her from testifying about bribes given to the police.
cratermoon

Sir Paul Stephenson, head of Scotland Yard, resigns.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14180043
- EH
  
  No doubt timed to provide cover for the obvious impropriety of the Brooks arrest.
Kimmo

Sounds like a pretty optimistic suggestion, given the revelations so far… the British police are hopelessly compromised to all appearances.

Not only must propriety be observed, but it must be seen to be observed… remember that one? Those were the days…
Anonymous

She’s certainly available to appear on Tuesday as schedule, no doubt she’ll be released on bail by then (if she isn’t already as of writing). But the arrest gives her a potential way out of having to make sensible statements then “due to the ongoing police investigation” or something to such an effect. Over here on this side of the pond, this arrest on a sunday – when the police isn’t exactly doing a lot of work anyway – is regarded as, shall we say, peculiar.
IamInnocent

I wonder if this is still “with the full support” of Murdoch ?
- Martin J
  
  daddy murdoch is not going to be in a job either by the end of the week.
  
  He’ll most likely sand down/retire after the being in the house of commons to take the heat with him as he leaves. Leaving his sleazebag son and daughter to carry on regardless.
Anonymous

Did I miss something? What’s this ‘scandal’ all about?
noen

Ya can’t trust a ginger.
- StPPP
  
  Prejudice… You need to watch this… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw Enjoy
ScottTFrazer

Look, I didn’t like that whole “Friday, Friday” song either, and I was little worried about what the follow up would be, but was that any reason to throw the poor girl in jail? she’s not even 16 for crissakes.
mudpup

This move will limit what questions Parliament can ask and what she can answer when she appears there Tuesday. Was this a move to limit her testimony.
- Richard
  
  Exactly, this was a move by the police to cover up their tracks in this:
  
  Her lawyers are currently in discussion with the committee about whether she should attend. Wilson said: “It’s left Rebekah in a very difficult position and has left the committee in a very difficult position”.
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/17/rebekah-brooks-arrested-phone-hacking-allegations
  
  Stain From Tabloids Rubs Off on a Cozy Scotland Yard
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/world/europe/17police.html
bkad

Maybe there’s something nefarious, but it could just be people don’t talk to each other. That would be an accurate description of the way ‘the government’ works over on this side of the ocean. I’d be surprised if it were to the contrary.
- Kimmo
  
  Who’s going to investigate the government and police?
  
  Maybe there’s something nefarious, but it could just be people don’t talk to each other. That would be an accurate description of the way ‘the government’ works over on this side of the ocean. I’d be surprised if it were to the contrary.
  
  Oh, ye of too much faith… you’re half the fucking problem.
trondmm

If she has to go to jail, will she still have time to star in Pixar’s Brave?
ocschwar

Everyone, remember that under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, every wrongful act committed in Britain is also a violation of American law, because NewsCorps is a US chartered company.

Write your congressman to insist these acts be prosecuted in the US too.
fraac

Murdoch will hang her out to dry and she’ll be all like “Wtf? But you were my faux daddy!” And he’ll be “You ain’t blood, baby. It’s jus’ bidness.”
DeWynken

…and it begins http://vimeo.com/11219730
(M.I.A. Born Free)

I wonder if they’ll waterboard her.