Goodbye, Lester Holt

Another one bites the dust.

Lester Holt leaving ‘NBC Nightly News’ after a decade https://t.co/yjVcC10aSP pic.twitter.com/mrhnQ6lCq5

— New York Post (@nypost) February 24, 2025

From the New York Post:

Holt took the helm at “NBC Nightly News” in 2015 as the network was embroiled in controversy — after it was revealed that the evening news’ previous anchor Brian Williams had falsely claimed he was aboard a helicopter shot down in Iraq.

Following the scandal, Holt filled in for Williams as the disgraced anchor was slapped with a six-month suspension without pay. Holt was officially given the job after it was decided Williams would move to left-leaning MSNBC.

Wow. Time flies. I didn't realize it's been a decade since Brian Williams revealed himself to be a brazen liar, an utter disgrace.

Brian Williams' Bizarre 'Farewell' Message

NBC’s Brian Williams Quits With Strange Farewell Message: America Being Burned Down With Us Inside

"America, remember who you are, before you forget who you are" pic.twitter.com/MUrs8jhnZG

— Wet Dirt Kurt (@WetDirtKurt) December 12, 2021

Brian Williams claims he's not a liberal or a conservative.

Not a liberal?

Sure.

Brian Williams, Comey Hearing, and Lies - AWKWARD

AWKWARD MOMENTS: When the MSNBC chyron speaks of who 'MIGHT LIE' under image of Brian Williams. #HAHAHA pic.twitter.com/NgsCcxSsq0

— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) June 8, 2017

NBC Fires Trump

NBC dumped Donald Trump for comments he made about immigrants from Mexico.

From Deadline:

Slamming the network for standing “behind lying Brian Williams” but not him, Donald Trump wasted no time today threatening NBC with legal action over the net canceling its planned airing of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. “Their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court,” said Trump’s office in a statement Monday. “Furthermore, they will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be.”

This lawsuit threat comes as the Comcast-owned network severed its relationship today with the Miss Universe organization and its Celebrity Apprentice co-owner over remarks Trump made about “rapists” immigrants from Mexico when he kicked off his Presidential bid last month.

Here's Trump's full statement:

As of today, Donald J. Trump is no longer affiliated with NBC. Mr. Trump stands by his statements on illegal immigration, which are accurate. NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct— that is why our country is in serious trouble.

Mr. Trump says, “We must have strong borders and not let illegal immigrants enter the United States. As has been stated continuously in the press, people are pouring across our borders unabated. Public reports routinely state great amounts of crime are being committed by illegal immigrants. This must be stopped and it must be stopped now. Long ago I told NBC that I would not being doing The Apprentice because I am running for President in order to Make our Country Great Again.”

Mr. Trump continued, “If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court. Furthermore, they will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be.”

There is no question that NBC has a history of supporting its "talent," showing great tolerance.

As Trump points out, NBC stands behind the disgraced lying Brian Williams and his stolen valor stories. Sure, he's being demoted to MSNBC, for a while, but the network didn't sever ties with the liar.

Speaking of disgraces tolerated by NBC, Alec Baldwin comes to mind. When he was on 30 Rock, Baldwin again and again behaved badly, often spewing Twitter rants. In the case below, Baldwin attacked "blood thirsty right wing trash," like Michelle Malkin.






In the case of another Baldwin explosion, NBC didn't fire him when he made homophobic remarks.



Another problem for NBC: Al Sharpton. How can NBC have a hatemonger and race baiter like Al Sharpton under its employ?

Clearly, Leftists on NBC can say and do anything with impunity.

Trump, however, gets dumped.

Definitely no consistency.

Brian Williams Stays at NBC

Brian Williams, the face of stolen valor, will remain at NBC news.

Serial liar Brian Williams won't be the anchorman for NBC Nightly News, but he will be a news guy at MSNBC.

NBC just won't let Bri-Willy go.

From the New York Times:

NBC is planning to announce on Thursday that Brian Williams will not return to his position as the anchor of its “Nightly News” show, four months after the network suspended him for exaggerating his experiences during a helicopter attack in Iraq, according to two people briefed on the decision.

Mr. Williams is expected to move to a new role at NBC News, primarily at the cable news network MSNBC, which would probably be in a breaking-news capacity at the beginning, according to one of the people.

...Exactly what Mr. Williams’s new role at NBC entails is not clear. But revitalizing MSNBC, which has suffered sharp ratings declines, is known to be a priority of Andrew Lack, the former president of NBC News who was brought back in March to head the division. With the evening news anchor decision out of the way, Mr. Lack is expected to focus a good portion of his attention on fixing MSNBC, and in the coming months, the cable network is expected to introduce more hard news and more reporting from NBC News talent during daytime hours, according to a person briefed on the plans. That would be something of a break from its more opinion-based programming.

The new role can be viewed as a humbling comedown for Mr. Williams, who before the controversy was one of the country’s most prominent and respected broadcast journalists. One point of contention during the negotiations over his new role at the network was the extent to which Mr. Williams would apologize for the controversy, according to a television executive who discussed the issue with people at NBC.

Pathetic.

I guess since Williams self-identifies as a journalist we should accept him as a journalist, even though he's a documented liar about news stories.

NBC News - no credibility.

Brian Williams: RESIGN

NBC News needs to move on, start anew, and dump Brian Williams now.

Brian Williams can’t stop lying

NBC finds at least 10 Brian Williams embellishments

Brian Williams Inquiry Is Said to Expand

NBC News finds Brian Williams embellished at least 11 times

Prospect of Brian Williams returning to 'NBC Nightly News' is fading

CNN: Brian Williams's SEAL Team Six Tales Don't 'Pass the Smell Test'

Questions Emerge Over Statement Brian Williams Made In Southland

Brian Williams May Have Lied About Meeting the Pope, Watching Berlin Wall Come Down

NBC Reportedly Has ‘Dossier’ of Brian Williams Lies; Investigating His Expense Accounts

Brian Williams Perhaps ‘Misremembered’ Dangers Of Katrina, Hotel Manager Says

Brian Williams Falsely Claimed 'We Saw The Guy Who...Put A Round Through The Back Of A Chopper' In Very First 2003 Report

Brian Williams' Account Of '70s N.J. Robbery Questioned

Brian Williams Lied About His Copter Being Shot Down In Iraq

Why allow this disgrace to drag on?

NBC needs to get rid of Williams. Let the lawyers iron things out and end it.

Williams should resign.

NBC has an opportunity to rebuild. The network should jump at the chance.

Robert McDonald: VA Secretary, Liar

Another liar in the Obama administration-- Robert McDonald.

McDonald is responsible for bringing even more shame to the already messed up VA.

'I have no excuse': VA Secretary reportedly admits to false claim of special forces service http://t.co/uMEz45ZUFj pic.twitter.com/xCYA3tXzDn

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 24, 2015

From FOX News:

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald has admitted that he lied about serving in the special operations forces in a conversation with a homeless veteran that was caught on camera earlier this year.

McDonald made the claim in January while he was in Los Angeles as part of the VA's effort to locate and house homeless veterans. During the tour, a homeless man told McDonald that he had served in the special operations forces.

"Special forces? What years?" McDonald responded. "I was in special forces." The exchange was broadcast on "The CBS Evening News" Jan. 30. McDonald's misstatement was first reported by The Huffington Post.

McDonald graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1975 and completed Army Ranger training before being assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division until his retirement in 1980. According to the Huffington Post, while McDonald was formally recognized as a graduate of Ranger School, he never actually served in a Ranger battalion or other special operations unit.

"I have no excuse," the website quoted McDonald as saying in its report. "I was not in special forces."

Oh, my God.

What a stupid thing to do!

No kidding McDonald has no excuse. What excuse could you possibly have for saying you were in special forces when you weren't? Just a temporary lapse into Brian Williams mode?

In a statement released Monday by the VA, McDonald said: "While I was in Los Angeles, engaging a homeless individual to determine his veteran status, I asked the man where he had served in the military. He responded that he had served in special forces. I incorrectly stated that I had been in special forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to anyone that was offended by my misstatement."

McDonald told the Huffington Post that he had "reacted spontaneously and ... wrongly" in response to the homeless man's claim.

"As I thought about it later, I knew that this was wrong," McDonald said of his false statement.

"As I thought about it later"?!?

How about not letting a lie come out of your mouth in the first place?

"I knew that this was wrong."

Ooh, good for you, McDonald. What great moral fiber you have! You knew that LYING about your military service was wrong. Wow. What a guy!

The White House released a statement Monday evening saying that it had accepted McDonald's explanation.

"Secretary McDonald has apologized for the misstatement and noted that he never intended to misrepresent his military service," the statement said. "We take him at his word and expect that this will not impact the important work he’s doing to promote the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans."

I'm sorry, but what a load!

"[H]e never intended to misrepresent his military service"?

WHAT???

What did McDonald do? Lose control and UNINTENTIONALLY misrepresent his military service?

The statement from the White House is truly insulting.

I would appreciate an honest statement, something like "Obviously, McDonald lied but we don't care." This "he never intended to misrepresent his military service" is ridiculous.

I'm really sick of these flat-out liars.

Of course, the worst liar of all is Obama.



Disgusting.

Is conscience passé? Is integrity dead?

It's all very disillusioning. I used to think most people were basically good. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

SNL 40: Jerry Seinfeld and Brian Williams Joke

Unfortunately, the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special is proving to be an often awkward and tedious marathon.

One highlight: NBC finally aired a Brian Williams joke.

JERRY SEINFELD: There are many things about Saturday Night Live that people don't know; like for example, I just found out that one of the original cast members in 1975 was Brian Williams. I didn't... I don't know if that's true, but I never heard that.

Obama's Lies

Brian Williams probably thinks he's been dealt a bad hand.

Obama lies with impunity. He hasn't been forced into exile.

Life isn't fair.

GOP Valentine's Day Cards 2015

Once again, the GOP is offering a selection of Valentines for you to send to that special someone.

See some of the 2014 cards here.

See some of the 2013 cards here.

See some of the 2012 cards here.

See some of the 2011 cards here.

See some of the 2010 cards here.

The GOP has 6 cards this year: 6 Ways to Ruin Valentine's Day (brought to you by the Democrats).

One is sure to please your Valentine.

Some options:



Obama and Hillary Clinton (Democrat strategy for Election 2016: Sell lies to the American people. "What difference, at this point, does it make?")



Joe Biden (Love hurts. It's at times like this that you need your "old butt buddy.")



Hillary Clinton (Too close for comfort.)



Elizabeth Warren (Brian Williams of the Democrat Party.)

MSNBC Scott Walker Evolution Tweet

Check out this tweet from the official Twitter account of MSNBC:

Happy Darwin Day from the Galapagos Islands! How do you think Scott Walker is celebrating? http://t.co/7jlSJzbEb3 pic.twitter.com/7VLUUelbTc

— msnbc (@msnbc) February 13, 2015

Even for the hacks at MSNBC, this is really over the top.

This news network cannot be taken seriously.

NBC/MSNBC has no credibility. Talk about pushing the Leftist agenda!

Absolutely disgusting.

Brian Williams and Pope John Paul II

Many times over the years, Brian Williams has told the story of Pope John Paul II's visit to Catholic University in 1979.

Guess what comes next.

That's right. The details of his accounts vary wildly.

From CNN, via NewsBusters:

In public settings, Williams has also discussed another brush with history that occurred a decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall. As a student at Catholic University, Williams was at the school when Pope John Paul II spoke at the Washington, D.C. campus in 1979. The anchor's account of the papal visit has varied over the years.

In 2002, Williams was quoted as saying that he chipped in with the school's preparations as an employee in the campus public relations office.

"I was there during the visit of the pope," Williams said.

If he had any interaction with the pope, Williams didn't mention it in then. But that changed in 2004, a year before the death of Pope John Paul II. While delivering the commencement address at Catholic University that year, Williams said the "highlight" of his time at the school "was in this very doorway, shaking hands with the Holy Father during his visit to this campus."

After reporting the news of the pope's death in 2005, Williams said on-air that he was "thinking back to the first time I met him at Catholic University, I guess it's 25 years ago now."

Days later, Williams provided a more colorful version of his meeting.

"I have to begin with a beautiful day in 1979," Williams said in an interview published by NBC News. "I was a student at Catholic University, and over the course of two hours, chatted up a Secret Service agent who spilled like a cup of coffee and told me that the pope would be coming our way, straight up the steps of a side door at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I positioned myself and held out my hand and said, 'Welcome to Catholic University, Holy Father.' And he embraced my hand with both of his, made the sign of the cross, and said a blessing to me."

The same year, he told Esquire he met the pope simply by being in the right place at the right time -- not thanks to a chatty Secret Service agent.

The holes in these accounts may seem small. Up until a week ago, most people wouldn't have given them a second thought. That they're even getting brought up speaks to the depth of this calamity.

Good grief.

This is pathetic.

Even the Pope isn't off limits when it comes to Brian Williams' storytelling.

'On Bullshit' and NBC

Have you read On Bullshit? It was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

It's a work certainly worth revisiting, particularly as it applies to NBC's apparent willingness to tolerate falsehoods and embrace the purveyor, Brian Williams.

Harry G. Frankfurt, professor emeritus of philosophy at Princeton University, offers an analysis of "bullshit."



Transcript

HARRY FRANKFURT: I think that respect for the truth and a concern for the truth-- these are among the foundations of civilization. I was, for a long time, kind of disturbed by the lack of respect and concern for the truth that I seemed to observe in much of the speech and writing that was being produced. And bullshit is one of the deformities of these values....

This was a concept, that seemed to me, to be an important one. It referred to a signficant feature of our culture, and not only a signficant feature, but a feature that, in my view, posed certain dangers to the foundations of civilization.

...

INTERVIEWER: What is your theory of bullshit? What is bullshit?

FRANKFURT: It consists in a lack of concern for the difference between truth and falsity. The motivation of the bullshitter is not to say things that are true or even to say things that are false, but serving some other purpose. And the question of whether what he says is true or false is really irrelevant to his pursuit of that ambition.

...

INTERVIEWER: You actually find bullshitters in some way more reprehensible than liars.

FRANKFURT: I don't know if they're more reprehensible exactly, but bullshit is somehow a more insidious threat to the values that I'm concerned with than lying is, because the liar knows what the truth is, and he's concerned with trying to keep people away from the truth. This in itself shows a certain respect for the value of truth and the importance of truth; whereas the bullshitter doesn't care at all. So, his stance is a greater threat to respect and concern for the truth than the liar's is. The liar wants to substitute for the truth something he knows or believes to be false. So, the difference between truth and falsity is very important to him, whereas for the bullshitter, it's not important at all. That's why I think that there's a more insidious threat to concern and respect for the truth in bullshit than in lying.

...

FRANKFURT: There's a question...that I think is worth pursuing, which is our attitude towards bullshit, why we are so tolerant of it, because I think we are very tolerant of it, much more tolerant of it than of lying. Lying strikes us as somehow a violation. We feel that the liar is injuring us in some way or at least threatening to injure us. We don't feel that way so much about the bullshitter. And I don't really understand exactly why our attitudes towards these two deformities of respect for the truth, why our attitudes are so different in the two cases.

...

FRANKFURT: The liar is limited by his commitment to saying something that conflicts with the truth, so there's a constraint upon him that he has to respect; whereas the bullshitter, who doesn't care about truth, can go anywhere he likes. There's a kind of a panoramic view that he can take that the liar can't take because the liar is limited to inserting in the specific place in the system of beliefs a false belief for a true one; whereas the bullshitter can go anywhere he likes and draw any kind of picture, any kind of panorama of beliefs that serves his purpose.

Brian Williams and NBC News: A master class ON BULLSHIT.

Or would it be lying?

Maybe both?

Letterman: Brian Williams Top Ten

TOP TEN THINGS BRIAN WILIAMS SAID THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE TRUE

10. "I'm proud to hail from the great state of New Jersey"

9. "Up next, a profile of Mitch McConnell you'll find fascinating"

8. "I was initiated into manhood by Sandra Day O'Connor"

7. "Have you met my sisters, Venus and Serena Williams"

6. "I recently defeated Bill O'Reilly and Richard Simmons in a cage match"

5. "Boy, did I enjoy 'Mortdecai'"

4. "I invented nachos"

3. "My temporary replacement, Lester Holt, once killed a guy with his bare hands"

2. "I've never been to a strip club" [Clip of Williams walking into FlashDancers]

1. "It's a thrill to be on your show, Dave"

Brian Williams: Suspended 6 Months

Brian Williams, NBC's THIRTEEN MILLION DOLLAR MAN, has been publicly humiliated after being caught in apparent multiple lies, particularly those regarding his accounts on his experiences in Iraq and News Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Howard Kurtz wonders if the punishment, having his career ruined, fits his crimes.

Should Williams be shown mercy?

The question: What is meant by "mercy"?

I don't think Williams should be forced to leave the civilized world and be pushed to live out his days in a cave in the wilderness. Have mercy!

Kurtz suggests that we "keep things in perspective," that "one mistake" perhaps shouldn't be the end of Williams' career, that he should be given another chance.

"Another chance"?

Yes, but no, not another chance at anchoring NBC's news operation.

Some transgressions demand that an individual be permanently removed from a position.

One can show mercy and forgive while also demanding that one be held accountable.

Williams is responsible for his actions. It's been shown that he conducted himself dishonorably, unprofessionally, and unethically.

Expecting NBC to hold Williams accountable for his behavior and the choices he made over the years to routinely construct false realities and sell them as true, is not piling on.

NBC's hesitancy to hold Williams responsible is making things worse for both Williams and the network.

If Williams had quickly stepped aside and NBC had strongly denounced Williams' lies and self-aggrandizement, much of the investigative reporting that's unearthing the additional embarrassing accounts would have been avoided.

Bottom line: Williams and NBC must be held accountable.

That's not piling on.

Williams' behavior can be forgiven, but it can't be excused.

Actions have consequences.

So what are the consequences for lying repeatedly and emphatically about his experience tagging along in a war zone?

Williams gets suspended for 6 months without pay.

Let's see. So in six months, Williams will be rehabilitated? His lying will be history? Is he getting a personality transplant during his "suspension"?

And upon Williams return to his $13 million a year gig, NBC must be counting on the ability of the American public to engage in a willing suspension of disbelief.

You're no liar, Bri Willy! Yeah, that's the ticket!

Love this headline from Matt Drudge:



I do think a qualifier is in order. It's the official "end of real news" at NBC.

NBC News is dead.

I don't know if Williams will ever come back to anchor the NBC Nightly News Show. However, whether he does return or not, NBC has made it clear that it has no interest in journalistic integrity, no standards, no morals, no honor.

This suspension strategy also guarantees that more of Williams' tall tales will likely be unearthed.

Full speed ahead, sleuths on the Internet!

More Brian Williams Lies

I think it's time for NBC to let go and move on.

Brian Williams' reputation as a journalist is beyond repair.

The guy should focus on screenplays, not news reports.

Let's call his penchant for telling tall tales "acting" rather than lying. Williams just needs to redirect his talents. He doesn't belong in NBC's news division.

Brian Williams perhaps ‘misremembered’ dangers of Katrina, hotel manager says

Three individuals told reporters that gangs never infiltrated the Ritz-Carlton, despite Williams’s claims. And DeGersdorff agreed.

“There absolutely was looting in the French Quarter,” [general manager of a mammoth Ritz-Carlton at the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Myra] DeGersdorff recalled. “But I wouldn’t say they were gangs. … They were primarily individual looters or two or three buddies attempting to break into camera stores; it was unpleasant.” She said that “on more than one occasion,” the looters tried to get inside the hotel. At one point, they did “breach a door” but were “immediately” chased out. There were “maybe one or two of them,” she said.

This contrasts with Williams’s recollection, as recounted to historian Douglas Brinkley for his 2007 book, “The Great Deluge.” According to Brinkley, Williams told him that “armed gangs had broken into the 527-room hotel, brandishing guns and terrorizing guests. Williams, in fact, had seen his first corpse floating down Canal Street from his eighth-floor window earlier that day. Then fever consumed him.”

At some point — it’s unclear when — Williams said he camped out in a stairwell on a mattress. That surprised DeGersdorff. “I can tell you that at no time did any of my people report any sightings of any bodies,” she said. “I witnessed no bodies floating. … He may have simply misremembered. But I can tell you no one broke out in the hotel with dysentery. I did have mattresses in the stairwells, sure. Did he walk into a stairwell and lay down? He could have, but Ritz-Carlton doesn’t invite its guests to sleep in the stairwell, so we certainly didn’t give him access.”

Brian Williams Falsely Claimed 'We Saw The Guy Who...Put A Round Through The Back Of A Chopper' In Very First 2003 Report

In the initial NBC broadcast where he described his 2003 Iraq reporting mission, embattled NBC anchor Brian Williams falsely claimed that “we saw the guy . . . [who] put a round through the back of a chopper,” which he further and incorrectly claimed was “the Chinook [helicopter] in front of us.”

Williams filed three reports from Kuwait for NBC News on March 26, 2003. The first was a live broadcast at noon Eastern, the second at 6:30 pm Eastern on the NBC Nightly News, and the third later that night in prime time on NBC Dateline.

A review of all three transcripts (obtained from Nexis courtesy of MRC) shows that as the day wore on, Williams’s claims, and in particular the claim that he saw the guy who fired the RPG that downed the chopper “in front of us,” became less expansive.

Over the subsequent years, however, that process reversed. Williams reverted to increasingly dramatic and even less accurate versions of the claim.

Brian Williams' account of '70s N.J. robbery questioned

A longtime borough restaurateur doesn't believe embattled NBC anchorman Brian Williams's claim that he was robbed at gunpoint in Red Bank sometime in the late '70s while selling Christmas trees from the back of a truck.

"To be robbed in front of a church? Red Bank just wasn't like that," said Daniel Murphy Jr., 71, who owns Danny's Steakhouse and has lived in the borough since his family moved there in 1949. "It was the kind of town where as a kid I'd leave the house in the morning and not come back until 8, 9 o'clock at night and you never worried about safety."

..."To be robbed in front of a church like that, it would have been in the Register," Murphy said, referring to the Red Bank Register newspaper, which went out of business in the late 1980s. Red Bank Police Chief Darren McConnell said in an email yesterday that it would be very difficult to try to find any record of an armed robbery in Red Bank from the 1970s without knowing the month and year that the crime allegedly took place.

Williams may be a good storyteller, but he's not a good journalist.

One could argue, especially in terms of all the stolen valor issues, that Williams isn't a good person.

Maybe his storytelling is a mental health matter. Maybe he's not a bad guy, just sick.

Brian Williams and Integrity

Brittany M. Hughes, CNSNews, reports that on September 10, 2004, at the National Conference of the Society of Professional Journalists, Brian Williams yapped about the importance of integrity.

“When you create a story at NBC Nightly News, when I sit down to write copy for air, I assign it, in the computer, a ‘one.’ It then goes through a series of traps, where writers and senior editors assign it a ‘two,’ ‘three,’ ‘four,’ and then it is ‘x’ed by the executive producer. No item can be read on the air without carrying an ‘x,’” explained Williams.

“If it needs to be amended, I go back into the document and see what they’ve done to my…poetry, really,” Williams added, to the amusement of the audience.

“I joke, but this is how we make sure -- and we, we toil and sometimes argue and fuss and fight over every word that goes out over the air. It’s…this is what we do. Talk about integrity. This is all we have,” he claimed.

This is pathetic.

When I watch that video, and see the smug Williams bloviating, I can't think of anything but the fact that the guy is a world-class BSer.

There is no way Brian Williams can be the face of NBC News if the intent is to be taken seriously by the public.

If Williams, the serial liar, the joke, stays at NBC News, the network's news division is dead.

Brian Williams, Serial Liar, Cancels Letterman Appearance

NewsBusters reports that Brian Williams won't be appearing on Late Show with David Letterman this Thursday.

Late Sunday afternoon, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported the latest information in the ongoing Brian Williams controversy with the news that the NBC Nightly News anchor has cancelled an appearance on CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman after reports initially suggested that he was planning to use it to clear the air and answer the many questions surrounding him.

...In an article for CNN Money, Stelter indicated that the decision was made after Williams considered “the uncertainty about when he’ll be back at his anchor desk”:

But until Sunday afternoon he was still scheduled to show up for his date with Letterman on Thursday.

The sudden change reflects the chaotic situation behind the scenes at NBC News and among Williams' representatives.

On Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for the “Late Show” said there had been no change to the plans for Williams to appear on Letterman's show.

Around the same time, a source close to Williams said it was “undecided” if Williams would still appear, saying the network hadn't considered the question yet.

Later in the day, the same source said the appearance was off. Williams has no other television appearances on the books.

Not surprisingly, Williams has his defenders, like Bill Moyers and Joe Klein. The Leftist media elites can't seem to grasp the importance of behaving with honor, something Williams did not do.

There should be consequences for lying with such conviction.

Forgive Lyin' Brian for his serious personal failings, but don't keep him as the face of NBC News.

When Williams chose to lie, he destroyed his credibility.

There is no way NBC can bring Williams back as anchor and expect Americans to look at him as a trustworthy and honorable man.

The truth about Williams is out. He is a serial liar.

Nothing any media analyst says can change that. No pontificating can alter that reality.

Today's front cover http://t.co/ivMxaJCvsV pic.twitter.com/eRFoFouXQJ

— New York Post (@nypost) February 8, 2015

Bri Willy Announces Time Off

NBC really loves Bri Willy.

Alas, all NBC's horses and all NBC's men couldn't put Bri Willy together again - at least for a while.

Brian Williams announced that he's freed up his schedule a bit.

He's taking himself off the NBC Nightly News for the "next several days."

#Williams does not face investigation, stepped aside voluntarily, source says http://t.co/Vi0kaNISuY via @HowardKurtz pic.twitter.com/LRiqnB9c5t
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 8, 2015

From the Washington Post:

Brian Williams said Saturday that he will step aside as anchor of his nightly NBC News broadcast for “several days” as a result of the controversy generated by his comments about his reporting during the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina.

With his troubles mounting by the day, Williams said he had decided to take himself off his signature newscast, “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” while NBC looks into statements he has made about his work in interviews stretching back more than a decade.

Here's the beloved Bri Willy's statement about taking some time away from the anchor desk:

In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions.

As Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.

So Williams is talking about his return to his anchor duties.

He's going to "continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us."

Clearly, Williams is nuts.

He's not trustworthy. End of story. No embellishment required.

Nonetheless, Williams states he will return.



Sure, Bri Willy, you keep talking about that return of yours.

If NBC is interested in being respected as a serious news operation, you're not coming back.

However, I'm not convinced NBC does care about journalistic integrity. I think NBC's hope is Bri Willy can ride this out.

From FOX News:

[A]ccording to the source, NBC is not conducting an internal investigation of its anchor, as has been widely reported. The network is engaging in journalistic fact-gathering so it can respond to questions about the crisis created by Williams’ false story about having been in a helicopter in Iraq that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. That means there will be no report with a finding on his conduct, this person says.

Williams knows that he needs to address the situation beyond the botched apology this week that made matters worse. And he has a prime forum coming up: An appearance scheduled for Thursday on CBS’s “Late Show” with David Letterman.

Williams is strongly considering keeping the appearance and using it as an opportunity to clear the air and address the lingering questions, the source says, but no final decision has been made.

Williams made a fool of Letterman in 2013, but Letterman doesn't seem to care, certainly not if he permits Williams to use his show to try to save himself.

After being publicly disgraced in 2009 with his sex scandal, maybe Letterman empathizes with Bri Willy's pain and suffering and public humiliation.

What a disgusting dance that would be, Williams offering his mea culpa on the set where he spun his lies!

An appearance on a late night talk show is not going to fix this. Williams will always be the big liar.

NBC needs to realize that it's time to sever its relationship with storyteller extraordinaire Bri Willy.
 
NBC's Choice: Protect Williams or protect the integrity of NBC News. It's impossible to do both.


The Question: Have you no sense of decency, NBC? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

We'll see. It could go either way.

Conan O'Brien: Brian Williams and Osama bin Laden

This is great:

I'm shocked. Back when Brian Williams and I killed Osama Bin Laden, he seemed like an honest guy.

— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) February 7, 2015

Thank you, Conan, for doing what comedians should do.

I don't expect Jimmy Fallon or Seth Meyers or Saturday Night Live to touch the Brian Williams lies. I don't think it's just the NBC connection either. It's the Leftist hack factor. They'll protect Williams. They'll shamelessly prop up the thoroughly discredited anchorman.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it. If Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity or any conservative or alleged conservative did what Williams did, I guarantee Fallon and Meyers and David Letterman would be crucifying him.

Fallon's monologue routinely targets Republicans without touching Obama. His monologues are nothing like those of Jay Leno or Johnny Carson.

But back to the disgraced Brian Williams--

I suppose Conan has no problem needling NBC. That's understandable. Still, Conan could show a Lefty allegiance to Williams. I'm glad to see he's choosing to properly mock Williams instead.

I love this tweet from Jim Norton:

. @NBCNightlyNews you don't need to pay @BWilliams $10million a year. I can make up better shit for 5.

— Jim Norton (@JimNorton) February 7, 2015

Me, too!