Think back five long years ago, when hot shot publisher-to-the-stars Judith Regan was embroiled in a huge scandal that was the talk of the media world: after HarperCollins fired her, Regan sued them. In her suit, she alleged that a mystery News Corp executive had told her to lie to federal investigators who were vetting former NYPD chief Bernie Kerik—a man that Regan slept with.

All these years later, documents released in the course of another lawsuit (this one by Regan's former lawyers, against her, for not paying them), the name of that mystery, felony-encouraging News Corp executive comes out: crazy Fox News boss Roger Ailes, allegedly! The NYT reports:

What is more, the documents say that Ms. Regan taped the telephone call from Mr. Ailes in which Mr. Ailes discusses her relationship with Mr. Kerik.

It is unclear whether the existence of the tape played a role in News Corporation's decision to move quickly to settle Ms. Regan's lawsuit, paying her $10.75 million in a confidential settlement reached two months after she filed it in 2007.

A tape! Let's hear it, immediately! Put it right on the internet for convenient comedic remixing purposes, please! Fox News' official response to the NYT was that "News Corporation has a letter from Ms. Regan 'stating that Mr. Ailes did not intend to influence her with respect to a government investigation.'" But they won't release that letter. Which means, Occam's Razor, that this tape of Ailes definitely exists. And if it exists, it is only a matter of time before it comes out. And then we can hear what, if anything, Roger Ailes said that might be construed as an attempt to foil a federal investigation of a man, Bernard Kerik, who turned out to be so corrupt that he's now in prison. Whereas at the time they were going to make him head of Homeland Security!

Hard to believe that a hardcore Nixonite would do such a thing.

[NYT; photos via AP]