Brittle fabulist James Murdoch, who's been under fire for months on account of how he lied to Parliament, twice, about the criminal hacking enterprise he presides over as chairman of News International, has stepped down from the boards governing the defunct News of the World and the Times.

There's not too much to read into the corporate maneuvering, which took place in September and was revealed recently in regulatory filings, according to the Guardian: News Group Newspapers, which ran the NOTW, is little more than a defendant in potentially thousands of hacking lawsuits. And though Times Newspapers Limited, which runs the Times, is still a going concern, James remains on the board of News International and insiders tell the Guardian that the resignations are part of a "tidying up" process as he prepares to move back to New York City. Where daddy can keep an eye on him.

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