Quotes from phone hacking testimony

Chief executive of News Corporation Europe and Asia, James Murdoch arrives at News International headquarters in London, Tuesday. Rupert Murdoch, his son James and the media mogul's former top U.K. newspaper chief, Rebekah Brooks, face a grilling from lawmakers Tuesday about the intensifying phone hacking scandal, which has spread from their media empire, to the top ranks of the police and even the British prime minister's office. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

LONDON— Key figures in Britain’s phone hacking scandal faced questioning Tuesday from lawmakers seeking to uncover the extent of criminality at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World tabloid. Here are some of the memorable quotes.

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“This is the most humble day of my career” — Rupert Murdoch

“This is not as an excuse, maybe it’s an explanation of my laxity. The News of the World is less than 1 percent of our company. I employ 53,000 people around the world who are proud and great and ethical and distinguished people, professionals in their work.” — Rupert Murdoch

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“It’s a matter of real regret that the facts could not emerge and could not be gotten to, to my understanding, faster.” — James Murdoch

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“I don’t know anyone in their right mind who would authorize … anyone listening to the voicemails of Milly Dowler in those circumstances.” — Rebekah Brooks

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“I have never paid a policeman myself. I have never sanctioned, knowingly sanctioned, a payment to a police officer.” — Rebekah Brooks

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“Your wife has a very good left hook” Tom Watson, lawmaker, after Murdoch’s wife slapped a protester who rushed her husband.

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“I’ve never hacked a phone, told anyone to hack a phone, or published any stories based on the hacking of a phone” — Piers Morgan, CNN host and former News of the World editor — responding via Twitter to a lawmaker’s suggestion he might have engaged in phone hacking.

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