It appears Microsoft Corp is being investigated by yet another body, this time the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to a report form the Associated Press. It quotes the chief of staff to Senator Slade Gorton, a Washington Republican as saying that the company is under investigation and had been requested by the committee to hand over documents related to its business activities, Gorton, Microsoft’s local senator, plans to defend the company more vigorously in Congress in the months ahead. Apparently aides to Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat said she was seeking the support of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and others to urge Congress to stay out of the case until the Department of Justice has concluded its own antitrust investigation. The committee’s chairman is Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, who is known to be an extremely vocal critic of the company, and, as the report points out, is also Novell Inc’s local senator. As well as Justice’s investigation, Microsoft is being probed by the Attorney Generals of California, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Texas on antitrust issues, as well as the Japanese trade commission.
