On Display at HP Hearing, Many Ways to Say 'Shocking'

Back in the Rayburn Building, lawmakers were hurling epithets at the HP executives who had used subterfuge to get phone records.

"Unacceptable," said Rep. Edward Whitfield (R-Ky.).

"Horribly offensive," added Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore).

"Gross stupidity," submitted Dingell.

"Mr. Chair," observed Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), "we're all disturbed in our own unique way."

The HP executives and their collaborators responded in their own unique ways, too. Ten of them took the Fifth and were led from the room in a hail of camera fire. Those who did talk pleaded ignorance.

"I relied on the expertise of people in whom I had full confidence," said Patricia Dunn, the former chairman.

"We were not involved in the conduct," said lawyer Larry Sonsini. "I was not even aware of them."

"I did not supervise this investigation," said Dunn.

"I had no knowledge of the methodologies," said Sonsini.

"I had no staff," said Dunn.

"I learned of it after the fact," said Sonsini.

HP's best defense, in the end, was blaming Congress. "A positive outgrowth of the recent troubles at Hewlett-Packard would be passage of legislation governing such conduct," Sonsini said, noting that he had told the company that its pretexting "was not specifically unlawful."

"Based on my experience," Dunn suggested, "I hope that Congress will help companies like HP . . . by establishing bright-line laws in this area."

The lawmakers acknowledged they were part of the problem. "Currently, the law regarding pretexting is ambiguous," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), an author of the languishing legislation that would ban the practice.

"It isn't just a leadership failure at HP; there's been a leadership failure in the GOP," added Inslee, the other author. "HP leadership may look back up here to GOP leadership and say, 'How come you're not moving this bill?' "

To that question, nobody in the room offered an answer.