‘Liar’ Brian Williams lands at MSNBC, still blames ‘choice of words’
In the wake of the Brian Williams scandal, the humiliated anchor gave a partial apoology on his way to MSNBC, a clear demotion from his bogus tales of trips with troops in war zones.
Williams, 56, who was hit with a six-month suspension after the scandal first broke earlier this year, will reportedly return to a demotion at MSNBC.
In an interview with Today‘s Matt Lauer, Williams blamed his distortions on ego. “It came from a bad place. It came from a sloppy choice of words. I told stories that were not true over the years. Looking back, it is very clear…I never intended to. It got mixed up. It got turned around in my mind,” he said.
The NY Post reports that they “hear the journalists at MSNBC are mighty unhappy that lyin’ Brian Williams will be joining their ranks as the cable network’s ‘breaking news anchor.'”
“In our work, I have always treated words very carefully. That’s the coin of our realm. That’s our tool. It’s the key to our integrity and our credibility. But Matt, it is clear that after work, when I got out of the building, when I got out of that realm, I used a double standard. Something changed. I was sloppier. And I said things that weren’t true. Looking back, that’s plain.”
Williams’ most infamous claim was that he came under fire while in a helicopter with U.S. troops in Iraq in 2003. That was untrue. Asked if he consciously lied about that, Williams flatly said no.
“I told the story correctly for years before I told it incorrectly. I was not trying to mislead people. That, to me, is a huge difference here,” he said. “Looking back, it had to have been ego that made me think I had to be sharper, funnier, quicker than anybody else. Put myself closer to the action, having been at the action in the beginning.”
“Now comes his redemption bid at MSNBC, the ratings-challenged cable channel whose employees are reportedly appalled,” the Post later adds.
