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    董事会通常把候选人的审查工作交予外部高管招聘公司，现在他们需要做出“更多努力，”霍奇森指出：“如果雇用了不合适的CEO，董事会灰头土脸，公司也会名誉扫地。更别提雇用和解雇CEO都需要一大笔钱，这些最终都要股东来买单。”

    然而，麦考密克警告说，这类调查中对高管和董事的背景审查可能远至高中阶段，如果到这个地步，那就矫枉过正了。

    “政坛上的背景审查打击了许多人从政的意愿，”他补充道。“如果在这方面走得太远，高管们的苦日子才刚刚开始。”

    Boards of directors, which routinely delegate vetting to outside executive recruiters, may need "to beef up their efforts," notes Hodgson. "The boards look foolish, and the company suffers reputational damage when they hire an unsuitable CEO. Plus it's expensive to hire and fire the CEO; it costs the shareholders."

    McCormick warns, though, that such investigations "raise the specter of looking into backgrounds, as far as back as high school, of executives and board members that could lead to overreaching.

    "In politics, there is so much scrutiny that it chills the willingness of many to take part," he adds. "If it goes too far, it will be open season on executives."