New York Republican Rep. Peter King issued a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller Wednesday demanding an immediate investigation into allegations that British journalists hacked phone accounts belonging to 9/11 victims.
“I am writing to urge that the FBI immediately commence an investigation of News Corporation pertaining to recent media reports alleging that journalists working at the News of the World, a News Corp. subsidiary, attempted to obtain phone records of victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11th through bribery and unauthorized wiretapping,” King wrote.
This week The Mirror reported that a former New York City police officer said he was offered money in exchange for victims’ phone account information. The information was provided by a source who spoke with the officer.
“I make this request not only as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, but as a Member of Congress who represents a district that lost more than 150 constituents in those terrorist attacks. It is my duty to discern every fact behind these allegations,” King wrote in his letter to Mueller.
“It is revolting to imagine that members of the media would seek to compromise the integrity of a public official for financial gain in the pursuit of yellow journalism,” King continued. “The 9/11 families have suffered egregiously, but unfortunately they remain vulnerable against such unjustifiable parasitic strains.” (9/11 victims may have had voicemails hacked into by journalists)
King said that if the allegations are true, laws against public corruption and wiretapping were broken — and that the journalists responsible should be subjected to “the harshest sanctions available under law.”