| As if you needed any more proof that Fox News is in the tank for Rudy Giuliani, as if the recent brouhaha over Fox News TV footage used in TV ads (OK for Rudy, not so for Romney) didn't tell you all you need to know on that subject, here comes one of Bernie Kerik's mistresses, former book publisher Judith Regan, to set you straight. In a $100 million lawsuit filed today, Regan accuses a "senior executive" at News Corp of encouraging her to lie to federal investigators about her relationship with Kerik in order to protect the presidential viability of Rudy Giuliani. Oh, yeah. If what she is alleging is true, and her lawyer says she has the proof to back it up, this could be very big news. From the Times:
Ex-Publisher Says News Corp. Official Wanted Her to Lie to Protect Giuliani
Judith Regan, the book publisher who was fired by the News Corporation last year, asserts in a lawsuit filed today that a senior executive at the media conglomerate encouraged her to mislead federal investigators about her relationship with Bernard B. Kerik during his bid to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.
The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik's mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post.
...
In the civil complaint filed in state court in Manhattan, Ms. Regan says the company has long sought to promote Mr. Giuliani's ambitions. But the lawsuit does not elaborate on that charge, or identify the executive who she alleged pressured her to mislead investigators, nor does it offer details or evidence to back up her claim.
...
"Defendants were well aware that Regan had a personal relationship with Kerik," the complaint says. "In fact, a senior executive in the News Corporation organization told Regan that he believed she had information about Kerik that, if disclosed, would harm Giuliani's presidential campaign. This executive advised Regan to lie to, and to withhold information from, investigators concerning Kerik."
Any argument to the effect that Fox News is a credible journalistic enterprise are henceforth inoperative.
UPDATE: The Smoking Gun has the complaint. Here's a screenshot of the relevant passage:
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