H.P. Before a Skeptical Congress
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Hewlett-PackardÂs former chairwoman and its current leader tried to explain why they did not question the legality of an internal spying operation.
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(InfoWorld) - U.S. legislators signalled Thursday that they will hold Hewlett-Packard's feet to the fire during House testimony on the company'sÂ pretexting scandal, while former General Counsel Ann Baskins formally declined to answer any questions by invoking her Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. BaskinsÂ resigned her positionÂ Thursday, effective immediately. Subsequent witnesses including outside investigator Ronald DeLia, of the investigation firm Security Outsourcing Solutions, were also refusing to testify at press time based on their Fifth Amendment rights. HP's use of detectives whoÂ obtained people's telephone recordsÂ under false pretenses while investigating press leaks from its board will be in the spotlight. The matter caught the attention of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, some of whose members have been activelyÂ promoting legislationÂ that would explicitly criminalize tactics such as those used in the HP investigation. The actions taken by HP were "not the act of one rogue employee," said Representative Jay Inslee of Washington state, indicating that at least some of the politicians might not accept the characterization of the events at HP that its chief is set to offer before the subcommittee. In a written version of his testimony made available earlier, President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd called the scandal the result of aÂ "rogue investigation." Inslee and Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee have co-authored legislation that would prohibit the obtaining of customer information from telecommunications carriers by false pretenses, and the sale or disclosure of such records obtained by false pretenses. In her opening remarks Blackburn, a Republican, called pretexting a purposeful effort to deceive and defraud in order to get information one is not entitled to have. "How prevalent is it in the corporate boardroom?" she asked. Criminalization of pretexting needs to extend to all forms of telecommunications, said Representative Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, adding that legislation must address records ranging from conventional telecom through mobile and Internet telephony. She called for a "comprehensive legislative approach" to cover all sectors where pretexting could occur.
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The House majority leader delivered on a promise yesterday.
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U.S. lawmakers on Thursday plan to  shine a spotlight on Hewlett-Packard Co.'s  snooping  into the telephone records of some board members and  journalists, a practice that Congress may soon ban.
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SAN FRANCISCO -- The congressional panel investigating Hewlett-Packard Co.'s boardroom spying probe has demanded that CEO Mark Hurd explain $1.37 million worth of options he exercised just before the scandal became public, two congressmen said Wednesday.
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House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert faced intensifying questions about the RepublicansÂ response to Representative Mark FoleyÂs messages to a page.
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An  interview on â60 Minutesâ set up a showdown before a Congressional committee that has summoned Roger Clemens to testify.
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By Bloomberg, AP and Staff Reports  The congressional panel investigating Hewlett-Packard Co.'s boardroom spying has demanded that CEO Mark Hurd explain $1.37 million worth of options he exercised just before the scandal became public, two congressmen said Wednesday.
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Under pressure from House Republicans, Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be backing away from a plan to place Rep. William J. Jefferson on the Homeland Security Committee.
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The House has scheduled votes this week on open-government bills. They would:  - Require organizations established for the purpose of raising funds for presidential libraries to disclose the sources of contributions of $200 or more.
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If Andy Pettitte appears before the Congressional committee and is asked what he knows about Roger Clemens, he will be faced with telling the truth or lying. I donât think he would lie.
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WASHINGTON -- A Needham private investigator told Hewlett-Packard Co. representatives that he kept former chairwoman Patricia Dunn briefed about the questionable methods he used to find boardroom leaks, according to testimony at congressional hearings yesterday and documents filed in connection with the hearings.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A Congressional committee on Monday asked Hewlett-Packard Co. to turn over records related to the company's possibly illegal investigation of media leaks, as the company's board planned to meet again to discuss the fate of embattled Chairwoman Patricia Dunn.
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Hewlett-Packard Co.'s CEO, Mark Hurd, and former board chairman Patricia Dunn this morning faced an angry congressional subcommittee looking into the legality of efforts by HP to plug boardroom leaks.
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As scandal over HP methods mushrooms, House plans investigatory hearings; company reps will likely be called to testify.
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Efforts to raise the legal hurdle that determines whether a shelter is legitimate are again gaining traction in Congress.
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The process of writing legislation has often been compared to sausage-making, but rarely is rotten meat actually present at a congressional hearing. Yet some is expected this afternoon at a House Agriculture Committee hearing "to review technologies in the meat industry."