The saga of Hewlett-Packard Co.’s spying scandal — which has toppled the company’s chairwoman, two other directors and at least two high-ranking executives — deepened in intrigue Thursday as lawmakers exploring the imbroglio summoned comparisons to Watergate and Enron, BussinessWeek reports.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee demanded to know how investigators for the respected Silicon Valley anchor could use tawdry tactics such as “pretexting,” or impersonating other people to obtain their phone records.
In one key document cited by the panel, an HP investigator had warned higher-ups, including the company’s now-fired chief ethics officer, that the tactics being used to find the source of boardroom leaks were possibly illegal and at the very least could damage the company’s reputation.
