Brian Williams to take 'several days' off

posted on: Feb 8, 2015

By DYLAN BYERS | 2/7/15 4:27 PM EST
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will take “several days” off amid an investigation into his false claims about his reporting experiences during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he informed his staff on Saturday.

Williams will return to the broadcast after the hiatus and remain the anchor of the Nightly News, he said. Lester Holt will fill in during Williams’ absence.

“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,” Williams told staff.

“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,” he wrote. “Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”

Williams had apologized on Wednesday for falsely claiming that he was in a helicopter struck by an RPG during the invasion of Iraq. Instead, he said, he was in a helicopter directly behind it. But that version of events was likewise called into question by two of the pilots on his helicopter, who told The New York Times “that they did not recall their convoy of helicopters coming under fire.” Another pilot who had initially backed Williams has since called his own account into doubt.

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Source: www.politico.com