Tom Crone, the former legal manager of News International, has as attacked James Murdoch's evidence to MPs on phone hacking as "disingenuous".
During his appearance before the culture media and sport committee today, Murdoch insisted that he was never shown a transcript of the email which suggested that phone hacking at the News of the World went beyond a single rogue reporter.
Crone and the last editor of the NotW Colin Myler had previously told the same committee that Murdoch was shown the email.
In a statement issued this afternoon Crone said: "It is regrettable, but I can perfectly understand why James Murdoch felt the need to discredit Colin Myler and myself."
"The simple truth is that he was told by us in 2008 about the damning email and what it meant in terms of wider News of the World involvement.
"It seems he now accepts he was told of the email, of the fact that it contained transcripts of voicemail interceptions and that those interceptions were authorised by the News of the World.
"Perhaps Mr Murdoch could explain who he thought was doing the authorising at the News of the World?
"At best, his evidence on this matter was disingenuous."
Murdoch accused Crone and Myler of "misleading" the committee in September when they told MPs Murdoch had been shown the email.
Crone adds: "For the record, I did not 'mislead the committee' about the evidence being confined to a 'single rogue reporter'. If anyone cares to read the full answer I gave to Q1339 during the 2009 evidence to the CMS select committee, they will see that I clearly accepted the 'for Neville' email meant 'that the problem of accessing by our reporters, or complicity of accessing by our reporters, went beyond the Goodman/Mulcaire situation'."