Testimony from Rupert and James Murdoch regarding their role in the phone hacking scandal continues:
7:24 AM PT: Asked how payments were possible without invoices or are made to people who are not employees. James Murdoch "doesn't know the exact arrangements" since he "doesn't do that myself."
7:34 AM PT: James Murdoch welcomes a judicial review of journalistic ethics and says all their employees receive a "code of conduct" about ethical and legal behavior. Says they have no plans to open a new Sunday tabloid although all options are open.
7:44 AM PT: "I have no knowledge" seems to be the British version of "I don't recall" because James Murdoch is saying it a lot. Rupert Murdoch says they were never guilty of "willful blindness." On what advice they were given for today, it was "basically to tell the truth."
7:49 AM PT: Rupert Murdoch asked how much of a "hands on" person he was with News of the World. "Not very much," and he's "not very in touch." Questioner finds it intriguing that the million pound payment was never dropped into the conversation even if he wasn't very in touch. "Other people would tell me that if anyone would." Huh?
7:59 AM PT: James Murdoch understand why these "big sums of money" paid out raises concerns—not that he addresses those concerns. Asked why they paid legal fees for people accused of illegal, gross misconduct. James Murdoch has "no direct knowledge" about that although he was "very surprised" to find out about them. Asked who authorized the payments and James Murdoch says he doesn't know. Rupert Murdoch says it would be on word of chief legal officer.