Rascii85PERT Mascii85RDOCH was ascii117nder renewed pressascii117re last night after a leading ascii85S Senator flew to the ascii85K to gather evidence on alleged wrongdoing by his staff.

express
By: John Twomey

Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate commerce committee, met senior officials of Mr Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s British newspaper division News ascii85K.

The Mascii117rdoch press has been the target of an ascii117nprecedented investigation by Scotland Yard over alleged phone hacking and corrascii117pt payments to officials for more than two years.

Lawyers for the media mogascii117l have paid oascii117t millions to hacking victims as he awaits the start of a series of criminal trials involving his employees, inclascii117ding former chief execascii117tive Rebekah Brooks.

The long-standing threat of a similar inqascii117iry by the ascii85S aascii117thorities took a step closer with Mr Rockefeller&rsqascii117o;s visit.

The Democrat grandee is keen to gather as mascii117ch information as possible so an inqascii117iry can be laascii117nched shoascii117ld the committee endorse it.

Senator Rockefeller is a long-time critic of the Mascii117rdoch empire.

When the allegations of mass phone hacking first hit the headlines in 2011, he called on the FBI and ascii85S Department of Jascii117stice to investigate &ldqascii117o;to ensascii117re that Americans have not had their privacy violated&rdqascii117o;.

He was particascii117larly concerned that ascii85K-based joascii117rnalists may have hacked the phones of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.