Tom Brokaw Denies Lobbying NBC to Fire Brian Williams, Pilot Recants Support for Williams
TV

The former 'Nightly News' anchor insists that his successor's future 'is up to Brian and NBC News executives,' while Rich Krell is 'no longer standing by his story.'

AceShowbiz - Tom Brokaw set the record straight on the rumor that he wanted Brian Williams fired from NBC after the latter told the fabricated story of coming under enemy fire in Iraq. "I have neither demanded nor suggested Brian be fired," the former "Nightly News" anchor said to The Huffington Post. "His future is up to Brian and NBC News executives."

In addition, Rich Krell who previously defended Williams is "no longer standing by his story." The pilot of the helicopter which the anchor was in previously told CNN's Brian Stelter that their chopper did take fire. However, after being confronted by other soldiers, he later said, "The information I gave you was true based on my memories, but at this point I am questioning my memories."

Williams came under fire after telling the false story of coming under enemy fire in Iraq. He was slammed by military veterans and mocked on Twitter with hashtag #BrianWilliamsMisremembers. As his credibility is being questioned, many now doubt the accuracy of his Hurricane Katrina coverage which won him and NBC multiple awards including Emmy in the past.

In a 2006 interview with Michael Eisner, he recalled his experience while in New Orleans when the flood came. "When you look out of your hotel room window in the French Quarter and watch a man float by face down, when you see bodies that you last saw in Banda Aceh in Indonesia and swore to yourself that you would never see in your country," he said. "I beat that storm. I was there before it arrived. I rode it out with people who later died in the Superdome."

In a new interview with Brokaw at the Columbia School of Journalism, he remembered, "I accidentally ingested some of the flood water. I became very sick with dysentery. Our hotel was overrun with gangs. I was rescued in the stairwell of a five-star hotel in New Orleans by a young police officer. We are friends to this day. I look back at total agony. We were experiencing the least of it."

However, conflicting reports said there was only little flooding at the French Quarter. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals also told The Advocate that there wasn't any dysentery case reported in the area in the wake of the natural disaster.

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